Albion
by RocketRanger
Summary: A new generation of saints years after the original saga. The original saints are now the mentors. The chapters do not strictly follow chronological time. It's more of a sweeping insight into the lives of saints rather than a straightforward account.
1. August 1991

**Author's Note:** All thoughts are in italics on the same line of speech for the speaker, and are uniformly in my common English, no matter who's thinking it.

**Shun Finds the White Boy of Seventh Sense**

_There's a cosmo around here. I should check it out._ Virgo Shun found a hill to land on. His years exploding his cosmo to the 7th sense, coupled with his gold cloth, allowed him true flight. All gold saints, when experienced enough, were capable of this feat. _It's close, almost in plain sight. I can't tell who it is._ This was the northern end of Scotland, so Shun didn't know what to expect in this unfamiliar place. _It's best if I hide the cloth, to avoid attention._ He willed the Virgo cloth to its box. It did not matter where the box was, since it always intercepted its cloth when summoned. Once down to his typical white, suspendered pants with his green shirt, he walked through the fair countryside.

He came upon a farm when he felt the cosmo greatest. He heard the whine of a horse, so peered around a barn to see the horse. It wasn't anything like he's seen before. A boy was pulling horses around. The horses seemed to be at their limit, seriously tugging against the boy, who only laughed like it was a game. Shun couldn't believe it when the kid changed the game to lifting the steeds around. One horse kicked him in the jaw, sending him back onto one arm. He wiped his cheek and tried again. By now Shun just gawked from out in the open. He forgot he was the one who walked in on the spectacle when the boy saw him.

"Hey mister, I haven't seen you before." His English caught Shun unprepared. More than that, his English was almost unintelligible to the Virgo saint.

"Oh, don't mind me." The boy looked at him funny.

"Whoa, what are you saying?"

_That's right, I need to speak English. But my English isn't so good. I haven't spoken it in 3 years._ "Uh, I have known English a little."

"Hey, your eyes are slanted! That means you're Chinese or Japanese, right?"

"Uh... yes?"

"So are you Chinese or Japanese?"

_I think he said Japan, but I'm not used to the English word. _"Um, Japan?"

"Oh wow! I get to meet a samurai! Actually, you look more like a ninja."

_Samurai? Ninja? He thinks I'm a ninja? They don't know about Japan out here, I guess._ He realized the kid was white. Pure white. The sunlight had originally reflected off of him such that Shun averted his gaze until now. _What is this? I've never seen anyone like this. He's perfectly white!_ His sight sharpened. _This cosmo... it's surrounding him, like a bubble! He has awakened such a level of cosmo already?_

"Mr. Ninja? Are you alright?"

Shun forgot his place. "Oh... apology."

"It's time for breakfast. Want to come along?"

"Oh..." Shun still had a hard time deciphering what words the kid even said.

"Here, come on!" He grabbed Shun's hand and pulled him toward a barn. Shun was thrown off balance and just followed out of sheer shock at the boy's strength.

"As for... breakfast in this time... there is this barn?" Shun was used to the idea of the wild outdoors or an urban environment. He only saw a farm once before.

"Yeah, right here." The boy shuffled through some crates. He broke one open and took out a large bottle of whisky. With no hesitation, the kid quaffed the bottle. The gold saint, of course, could only watch in awe. He never even so much as had a drop of alcohol in his life, and this boy just drank it like water. "Now for the main course." He quickly climbed up the loft, and took some basket. He jumped onto a bale of hay and sat there. "Want one?" He held the egg out, but Shun politely refused. "Oh well, more for me." He squeezed the egg, and its contents gushed up in a single stream. The boy wormed about enough to catch all of it in his mouth. He heartily swallowed in one gulp. He repeated this two dozen times, then set the basket down and ran for another bottle of whisky. Again, the kid just inhaled the beverage. Not satisfied, he took a third one, but stopped halfway. "Whew, this one's for the road." He left the barn, so Shun gathered to just follow the kid to whatever was next on his laid back itinerary. They stopped at a tree. The boy finished the rest of his drink as he sat down against the trunk.

"What which it--you... has done and... is?"

"Uh, it's naptime." Shun understood this.

"Uh...that in the... afternoon is?"

"I know." He reclined and closed his eyes. It was obvious that Shun wasn't going to be leaving this country anytime soon. He had to learn more about the boy, and possibly find a future saint in him. He left in search of an adult, possibly the owner of the farm.

Shun had indeed found the farmer, a middle-aged man with his own thick English. He spoke slower for Shun, a courtesy the kid wouldn't have been able to provide. "Sure that kid works here. I'll have you know he does the work of 5 men. And he eats like 5 men, sometimes." He sighed. "Can't win them all. But he only eats. Anyone else would want money."

"There is that boy whom... it is related with you?"

"Ha, good one. No, the kid's an orphan. I don't know where he's from, but I found him two years ago. Rather sick on the side of road, but Nessa took care of him as our own, and in no time the kid was on his feet and hauling feed. Since then, he's been working here. What's with the interest in the boy?"

"I curiosity am... strong." He couldn't just take the boy as his student. The kid was already in a niche here, almost like a son to the farmer. "I ...when me it is the... teacher to the boy, think of that it is."

"You're a teacher?"

"Uh... yes."

"Ah, good. I was starting to get worried we'd have to send the kid to school soon. He's a wonder on the field, but he needs some letters. If you're going to tutor, I'm not sure where you'll stay unless you'd work the farm too."

Shun took a moment to understand. "Uh, I... work in order to be... restricted to your barn. As for me while I uh... teach, it is possible... to work here."

"You're awfully young and dainty-looking, though."

"Ah, that is not... problem. Uh, what where is... name of the boy?"

"When he was walking again, a trader came by and called him Albion. He said it was because of his paleness. I still don't get how the kid can be outside all the time and not suffer a burn."

_Of course, that cosmo! It was shielding him from sunburn! He's able to use cosmo that well already! That could only mean he has natural talent! With.__. the seventh sense?_ "Ah, thank you Mr. Beatty."

Getting back to the boy was important, so Shun waited by the kid when he woke up. "Oh, you're still around, Mr. Ninja?"

Shun smiled. "Albion, yes?"

"Yeah. How'd you learn that?"

"Uh, I spoke... person and Mr. Beatty. I am... your teacher."

"Whoa, I get to learn from a ninja!"

_We're going to have to do something about this "ninja" business. And I agreed to teach you letters. But the only letters I know are Japanese and Greek_

_Four Years Later, at Sanctuary_

The trainer named Griffith peered over the very white boy's shoulder. "The hell is this crap?" He pulled the letter away from Albion.

"That's not crap. That's my letter to my old home." The young trainer was proud of it.

"I can't read this at all! What is this chicken scribble?"

"It's Japanese."

"Is that what it is? Hey, aren't you from Scotland? Why don't you write in English?"

"Write in English?"

"Yeah, the language we're speaking now."

"Oh... I don't know how to write English."

The darkening below Griffith's eyes weren't out of anger, but a slightly amused frustration. "You're telling me you're illiterate to your own language? And yet you can write in Japanese?"

"Y-yes?"

"Who taught you Japanese-- wait--" Griffith realized the answer already.

"Master Shun."

_Don't smile like that... it's embarrassing_ "Shun is terrible at English, you know that?" Albion blushed with embarrassment.


	2. February 1995

**Students of Sagittarius**

Seiya surveyed the group of trainees. They were both children and teenagers from many parts of the world. Seiya wore only normal clothes, as he preferred to keep his cloth reserved. Something caught his attention. At the back of the crowd of stood both the tallest and shortest trainees. They were practically huddled. The tall one had this fierce look, as if ready to fight. Unknown to the gold saint, the two had held hands up until he approached.

_Such a strong cosmo comes from this one._ "You want to fight so soon?" There wasn't a response. _Greek won't work, so maybe Japanese will. Many of the kids here speak it._ "Are you Japanese too?" Still no response, yet he heard a whisper from below. The small one had muttered in English so his tall friend could hear.

"No." The voice of the tall redhead was young, but rather dry and neutral.

_English? The small one must have translated._ "Are you his friend?"

Startled, the boy answered alike. "Y-yes! I was just translating. Sorry about that."

"Don't apologize. It's just my fault I don't know English. What are your names?"

"Uh, we... we don't have names."

"What? How? Where did you come from?"

"We came from America; on a ship... we were running away..." He didn't want to continue, his tears already too much.

_This kid is so small, and he's here in Sanctuary. Does he really want to be a saint?_ "You know what this place is? You're not lost, are you?"

"N-no, we know this is Sanctuary."

"And you want to be a saint?"

He looked up at his friend, who glanced back at him for a split second. Suddenly he had conviction in his tone. "I don't care what it takes; I won't let us get separated!"

_This cosmo... this entire time I didn't feel just one cosmo. No, I feel two similar cosmo. They're so close, like they're holding each other. I've never felt any cosmo like these before._

**The Americans Prove Their Worth**

In the traditional method, the selection process began. Trainees simply fought each other until they were unable to. Seiya observed which trainees showed promise, the trainees with even the slightest trace of cosmo. He observed this training process he underwent when he was a child. With Marin's permission, he fought countless trainees like himself. Even if he got beaten, he was expected to get back up and continue the struggle. Still, the promising trainee out of this group needed a teacher. _I'll pick out the trainees that have potential. Then I'll teach them like Marin taught me._

A particularly large trainee eyed the tall American. "I heard you're American. You think you're better than all of us?" He didn't appreciate being ignored, since the American couldn't understand his speech. "You can't ignore my fists!" He charged, only to find his entire motion stopped. The stranger's fist had sunk into his solar plexus. The lack of pain was illusory, as in the very moment he realized he was struck, time had slowed to a crawl that even his body didn't register the hit. Time returned to normal, and with everything in a blur, he felt the world of shock as his body slammed into bedrock.

Everyone noticed the stranger now. Their own duels broke apart in favor of bringing down the person that threatened their chances at winning the position to train with Seiya. The silent foreigner seemed to glide among them, delivering incapacitating blows. The stranger's expression remained detached and cold, as if he was bored. When the activity halted, only 3 trainees stood. The tall one, the short one, and a fellow with a grin on his face were the winners. The small boy figured out that this other kid had not participated in the brawl.

"Careful, he looks like he's planning something awful." His English tipped off his friend rather well, leading the tall one to take a stance.

This other trainee merely raised his hand in a "stop" gesture, as if unwilling to fight. He called up to the saint. "Hey, you wanted to filter out the riff-raff, right? Well, you got what you wanted." His Greek sounded native. The small boy wondered why this kid was so bold.

_Where did he come from? He wasn't in the original lineup, was he?_ Seiya's eyes widened. _Wait, he was there! How could I forget? This__ this cosmo, could it be? He was able to hide from me this whole time?_ His thoughts returned to the matter at hand. _He's right. Out of all of them, he and those two are worthy of actual instruction. Wait, not yet. It looks like they have to pass another test, since he showed up._ Seiya watched a rather small, unassuming Japanese boy enter the area. Seiya always addressed the rude trainee in Greek. "You have guts, but he doesn't seem to think so." Seiya pointed at the newcomer. This boy seemed just as emotionless as that of the American.

"So I have to beat him? No problem." The cocky trainee instantly charged at the challenger. He didn't even throw his punch when he was struck in the back of the head. He turned to see that the challenger was already behind him, and struck at him accordingly. Once again he was hit in the back of his head. Infuriated, his cosmo started to burn. He thought he caught the boy, but his fist was evaded. His arm was held, and in that moment he was thrown to the air. He couldn't see the boy on the ground, and in his confusion a kick dug into his back. The kick was indeed strong, and he found himself unable to recover.

The tall trainee signaled his friend to stay back. He made his way to the speedy trainee. A low roar was heard when the American's long arm suddenly grabbed the boy. The redhead's other fist had cocked when a particularly strong kick connected to his back. He lost grip, and quickly lost sight of his opponent. Something popped in the back of his head, and he instinctively turned and avoided another kick. He parried the attack, but immediately afterward another kick crashed onto his head. His cosmo burnt, and again a low roar was heard when he made an uppercut tot he trainee. The boy was hurled back, but another blow dug into the tall youth's back. He retaliated, and sent the opponent flying.

However, the stranger decided to attack the small boy. The kid cried out when he somehow parried the assailant. Again he parried, and a third attempt was made before the opponent stopped altogether. A knife-hand of the tall trainee crashed right on top of the boy's head. He sunk to his knees, and it seemed he was defeated. The small trainee saw this boy's expression instantly change from one of pain to the same neutral face as he always had. The subdued boy aggressively held onto the American's arm. The tall youth tumbled from the throw when Seiya intervened.

"That's enough, Niou." The boy stood still on command. "You can go back training alone." The child left while Seiya watched the three recover from the skirmish. "You all did well. Niou is my first student and is half a year ahead of you."

"But we didn't defeat him."

"I didn't expect you to." Seiya seemed to aim his Greek remark at the gutsy trainee. He looked over at the two Americans. "As for you both, you actually could've beaten him." This made both newcomers pause. "What's your name, loudmouth?"

"Agryos."

"You think you will earn a cloth?"

"If Athena thinks I will earn a cloth."

_That's a good answer... but this kid is rude._ Seiya faced the tall and short ones. "You said you have no names, right?"

"Yeah, we don't. We never needed names because no one really talked to us."

"That's odd." Seiya scratched his head in frustration. "I can't just say 'hey, you!" _What on earth is that?_ "Hey what's wrong with your legs?"

"AAAAAHH NO!" The little one hid behind his friend. The tall American merely stood still, as if nothing happened.

"What's wrong?" Seiya tried to help, but the kid started crying. When he got close, Seiya could see there was indeed movement in one of the legs of the boy's extremely baggy pants. The gold saint gulped as to what oddity this could be.

"I c-" His voice was shrill and small.

"What are you trying to say?"

"I can't control it! Please, I don't want to be seen!" He tried to hide behind his friend even more, but Seiya's curiosity got the better of him.

Seiya felt the boy's emotions, and something needed to be done fast. "Here, come on!" He grabbed the boy's arms and carried him up in one felt swoop. The tall trainee reached out for the boy, but didn't pursue when it was obvious he couldn't catch up. In no time, he had leapt past a rock facade into a bend in a canyon. He let go of the boy, who stumbled in a vain attempt to hide whatever was within his pant leg. "What's the problem?"

"It hurts..." He squat as he cried. It was obvious something shared the leg of the pants with his actual leg. Whatever it was, it pushed outward.

"I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong. Sorry, but I'm going to have to see what's going on." Seiya pulled off the pants. There it was a smooth, hairless tail. He was speechless, even as the boy cried and crawled to hide. The boy hid behind a rock when Seiya came to his senses. _A tail? This boy has a tail? I thought Niou was strange... but this kid doesn't like it if he's been trying to hide it._ "Hey, come back!"

"No! You don't want a freak like me around!"

"That's not true! Sanctuary needs freaks like you..." He immediately bit his tongue at how stupid he sounded. "Ah! Sorry, what I meant to say was... is that it doesn't matter if you have a tail." _I'm sure Lady Saori would know what to say at a time like this._ "Alright, you have a tail, but you can't believe it will get in the way. Do you want be ashamed of your tail for the rest of your life?" The boy's sobs died down. "Or do you want to be a saint? Don't you owe it to your friend to follow through in training to be a saint, no matter what anyone thinks?" Only sniffles were audible. "Come on, I'm almost going in circles now, but you have to stop hiding whenever you think nobody likes you or your tail!"

The kid's big, watery eyes looked out from behind the boulder. "Do you mean it? I can be a saint?"

"You have what it takes. You made it this far after all." _Now that I can sense his cosmo alone, it's really potent._ "How old are you?"

The boy counted on his fingers. "Uh... 7."

"Seven, huh? Even when I was your age I didn't have anywhere near the power you already have."

The kid stepped out now, wiping his snot and tears as he calmed down. "I have power?"

"Yup. You have what's called a cosmo. Everything is made up of atoms, even us. The power inside each and every atom and the power of all the atoms in your body, that's the cosmo. You can already tap into your cosmo, but you need training."

"So I can be strong like you?"

"There's no limit to how strong you can be. I can feel a strong cosmo within you. You were able to enter Sanctuary. It takes the bravest people to enter this land. Not many kids your age can make it to Sanctuary!"

"Wow! If I can become strong, then..."

"If you want to see that cosmo inside yourself, you have to accept your tail. We all have parts of ourselves we don't want, but when we accept that of ourselves, we become stronger. Don't just think you can be strong as me. I want you to become stronger than me." Seiya held his hand on the kid's shoulder. It was the kind of moment that Seiya had when he was a boy training under Marin. Moments like these were what kept him strong, and they shaped him into the saint. To have taken the role of the mentor, it was a strange feeling, but he felt so important to the boy now. With this boy trusting him as his teacher, he knew he had to do everything in his power to be the perfect teacher for this boy. Seiya suddenly realized something else. "Uh, but first we need to get you some real pants." The precious moment got ruined with embarrassment.

_Ten Minutes Later_

"There we go, these should fit." Seiya had finished punching out a hole just above the seat of a pair of old jeans. He stepped outside the door where the boy waited. "You kept losing control of your tail because you squeezed it so much when you hid it. Just give your tail fresh air and you'll have no control problems anymore." He handed the kid the jeans inside the shack, then spoke by the window. "Besides, those jeans you had before would just slow you down. Honestly, I don't know what you Americans think about when you wear clothes." It wasn't long before the boy came out fully dressed, this time his tail freely waving about. "Now, since we'll have you kids training together, it's going to be hard getting your attention. You need a name. You have a name in mind?"

"How about Terminator?"

"Uh... that's a very strange name." _It's a very stupid name._ "Are you sure about that?"

"You have a better name in mind?"

"How about... Nyx."

"What? What sort of name is that?"

"You don't like it?"

"Well, yeah, but you it sounds like you just made it up."

"Not really, it just came to me."

"OK, I'm Nyx now."

"Oh! I almost forgot! I had to tell Agryos about your tail, since you'll be sparring partners."

"Hey--"

"Nope, I told you. In Sanctuary, you have no secrets to hide. Besides, Agryos said your tail isn't the most unusual thing he saw. He said some kid had some sort of mouth in his stomach."

Nyx's eyes widened to hearing such a bizarre thing. _A mouth, on his stomach? That's so gross... I'm glad I don't have something that freakish!_


	3. January 1995

**Aquarius Student**

"Bless, you." Hyoga didn't look back at his student when he said it.

"Thank you, master."

_Seiya, I can tell you're going through much at Sanctuary now._ Hyoga was fortunate to have only one student at the time, so he could already work 1-on-1 with the boy. He had already taken the boy to Siberia, at his old training grounds. "Is it cold for you?"

"Yes."

"Well, you are honest."

"I can get used to this."

"Are you sure?"

"I would've left already if I had any second thoughts."

Hyoga stopped to face his student. "This is where I became a saint. I need to know what conviction you have to choose this path."

"I need to overcome something."

"What, then? Or do you think your master is not worthy to listen?"

"Sorry, but not yet. You can say that I have something eating away at me all my life. The Aquarius saint can teach me how to stop this feeling cold, and even bite it back." For a moment, his hand brushed over his abdomen, which was wrapped in bandage tape.

_His cosmo is unique, stronger than his accent even. Like hunger. It could only be a matter of time that I still stand before him as his senior. This boy, Griffith, is someone who could bury me._

**The Hungry One**

_What is this foreboding sense? It grows stronger everyday. If there was an enemy, I should have found him by now._ Hyoga had inspected the surrounding glacier, but found nothing out of the ordinary. It was still early in the morning, with the clouds full for an imminent blizzard. He happened upon the sleeping Griffith. _I know how old he is, but he seems grown like a man already. He looks as old as I am. What lies in his past that wears down on him so much?_ He heard a grumble, the likes of which he never heard before. _That wasn't a bear. What on earth is this? I can feel the presence more than ever!_ He heard the growl, and then picked up on its source. He leaned his ear closer to it. He soon found himself nearly on top of Griffith, the growl louder than ever. Movement stirred beneath the bandages. It wasn't a trick of light; he saw consistent motion behind the wrap. He reached out to feel. The sudden hardness was enough to make him jump back in fright. _What could possibly be under there?_

Griffith stirred, grasping his shoulders for warmth. The growl continued, but the motion intensified. Griffith stirred again, this time tugging at a lose end of the wrap. Hyoga looked more closely. The motion shifted to a regular pattern, one which wore through the bandage. In minutes, Hyoga caught glimpse of this mystery. Something dark and wet was trying to break free of the bandages.

_Maybe... maybe some slug got to him. Poor kid doesn't even notice this thing eating him._ He couldn't ponder an action further when the mystery burst completely out of the bandage. It was a terrifying, fanged mouth on his stomach! Its tongue tasted the air, its lips nonexistent, giving the illusion of how disruptive this oddity was to the normal skin around it. Griffith awoke.

"Griffith! What is that?"

"Master?" His eyes weren't alert. "I'm hungry." He awkwardly stood. The mouth widened, salivating as the tongue elongated to dance in the air.

His morning walk was for the purpose of breakfast. Yet now his student revealed to be some half-awake monster. His cosmo welled up within him. It was his only safeguard to whatever this was. "Griffith! What is going on?"

"Master... I..." He stumbled. The saliva melted the ice. Either it was hot or acidic.

_Hunger, this thing is hungry! It's not a parasite, but a part of Griffith!_ His eyes widened. He stepped back, ready with his first plan of action. He had hoped maybe a few fish would satisfy this bizarre behavior. He broke through the ice and pulled out fish to hurl at Griffith. What were fish gradually became sharks. He ran out of ice when he reached the expanse of sea. It looked as if a certain Aquarius saint was included on the menu. Sensing a great life beneath the water, he burned his cosmo to rapidly heave a large whale against Griffith. Hyoga was frozen in awe. He witnessed the inhuman feasting from start to finish. All of this feast within a matter of minutes. The gold saint's own stomach churned at the sight. _He... he ate the... entire whale...through that, that... thing! _He broke cold sweat as he watched Griffith crumple to the ice floor. The mouth was closed now, appearing like a zipper desperately trying to hold in the gravid distension of the student's midsection. Griffith shook off the rest of his sleep.

"Master?" His alert eyes only met Hyoga's bewildered stare. Only then did he notice the results of his superhuman breakfast. "No... No!"

"Griffith?" Hyoga lurched forward out of genuine concern.

The teenager pounded the ice; a deep-seeded anger overtook him. Cosmo was present in his tantrum. The ice could only break apart to his fists. "No, this isn't supposed to happen!"

"What is not supposed to happen? You just ate an entire whale!"

"Damn it!" A wave of cosmo ejected out from Griffith. Even Hyoga was pushed back by the surge of cosmo. "I can't fall into that! Not again! You don't understand!" Darkness crept beneath the boy's eyes.

"Understand what?"

"I can't let this thing take over me! You let me eat? How could you! I can't overcome it now, not when it's been fed!" Griffith's face took the most sinister guise.

_He's hysterical! If this keeps up, I'll be in danger again! He's even more frightening than before!_ "Calm down!"

"I can't! Not when my appetite has the taste of flesh!" His cosmo surged even higher.

_He's already as strong as a silver saint! Such terrifying power! I know something powerful in him. I can't let him rampage out of here!_ Hyoga clenched a fist. "I'm sorry, Griffith, but you need to cool off!" Hyoga gathered his cosmo for his most basic technique. "Diamond Dust!" The classic technique was drawn and released. The blast of sub-zero force struck Griffith's palm. He had caught the attack! _Impossible! If he's really a monster... I need to use the discipline of a monster against him!_ His cosmo exploded against real threat. His Kholodnyi Smerch was more than a match for the berserk Griffith. Temporarily frozen, the boy was subdued at last. _I can feel it subsiding. I need to take precautions when we have our little talk._

Hyoga waited as Griffith's eyes finally opened. It could be seen that he wasn't in the best of health. The darkness remained over his eyes, still quite prominent. He tried to stand, but found his lower body bound in ice. "Master?"

"Griffith, you need to tell me everything."

He recalled the situation, but looked down rather shamefully. "I can't. What does it matter anyway?"

"I cannot trust you to be a saint if you cannot trust me with your reasons to be a saint. You cannot hide this anymore."

"I have to be strong! If you won't let me be strong because I'm a monster, then I'll find some other way to get strong!" He struggled against the ice.

"Are you really a monster?" This stopped Griffith altogether. "This is not about strength! This is about conviction! Why are you here if you can wander around and run away whenever someone learns about you?"

"I... I thought maybe I could... I don't know. I always run away whenever I'm found out. It's not hard for someone to discover my secret." Tears dripped from his dark eyes. "But you forced me to sit here and suffer. Why couldn't you just kill this monster?"

"Enough of this 'monster'!"

"Why do you still want to learn about me? You're supposed to freak out and kill me! I can't live as a normal human with this disgusting, evil thing on me!"

"You should not be suffering."

"What?"

"You are in pain. I saw it before, but only now do I understand. You are malnourished. You starved yourself all this time. You did not think I noticed, because you just worked harder at appearing stronger. Is that why you are here? To overwork yourself to death?"

A nerve was hit. "Master, I--"

"You still call me 'master.' You keep saying you want to get stronger because deep down, you still hope to become more than that mouth. You still dream of the day that you would not have to worry about this thing consuming you. I can see you have not let this hope extinguish yet, even after all your struggle to wither away. You still hope that someone in the world will listen to your cry for help." Their eyes locked, with Griffith's eyes watering before breaking into full sobbing. Hyoga held his arm around him. "You can cry now, Griffith. Out here, you can cry the tears that will freeze into your strength."

Nothing was said while Griffith finished crying. Once his sobs died down, he wiped away the tears. When he looked at Hyoga again, his eyes brightened with an awakened optimism. Hyoga held to the ice that trapped the kid. With his control over temperature, he shattered the ice. "Master?"

"Griffith, your training will be special. Stand up first." Griffith obeyed. "The only way you can truly control your entire being, to control that part of you that you fear so much, is to endure it. I felt your cosmo. You just need to outlast the hunger."

"How can I do that?"

"You are not going to hold back. Give into the craving, the desire you have. Whenever you go berserk, I will handle it from there. All you need to do is to keep getting back on your feet whenever you get knocked down. It will not be easy, but I felt your potential. You have every means to make it through. Just keep the courage inside."


	4. April & December 1995

**Morning Stroll**

Atka finally reached the top of the bank. Although wet from his swim, he handled the cold beyond human limits. His swim was superhuman in itself, the strait that seperated america from asia.

"Well well, what do we have here?" A strange man stepped on the rock where the boy grasped. His english was perfect, which didn't make sense for a Siberian. Unlike Atka who still wore some warm clothing, this one was insane to wear nothing but pant and boots. This stranger grabbed Atka by the head and lifted him effortlessly. It didn't register until now, when Atka had a clear look at the man's torso. There, on his abdomen, was a great fanged mouth, open and ready to devour anything. "You'll make a nice snack!"

Atka kicked and screamed as best he could, but the stranger merely laughed as his second mouth enlarged. It was entirely possible for this mouth to swallow the boy whole. He shut his eyes, waiting for whatever pain would come his way once he was eaten. This moment did not come, and Atka opened his eyes to see a wall of ice over the mouth.

"That is going to far, Griffith!" The yell was a language unfamiliar to Atka. It belonged to a blonde man who appeared from a snow drift. He was clad in magnificent gold armor.

"Bah!" This Griffith made a rather ghastly expression, almost like both a snake and a wolf. Darkness shrouded his eye sockets, and his teeth seemed to sharpen with his scowl. With a gutteral hiss, he smashed the ice apart with a hammerfist.

"I guess I have to persuade you the hard way." Again, Atka couldn't understand the speech. This good man made a pose, with both his hands clasped before him. Atka blinked to make sure he really did see a water jar above this man's head. His hands cocked back, as if they pushed something. Once he did this, Griffith had been entirely blown away. Atka watched in wonder as a storm of ice crystals carried the assailant far away into the distant tundra. What had been a calm overcast just minutes before was now a raging blizzard. The rescuer stood before Atka.

"Thank you, Mr. Gold Knight! That guy was going to eat me! I don't know how to repay you!"

He seemed puzzled at first, but spoke english. "Just calm down first. My english is not perfect yet, so please talk a bit slower."

"Oh, sorry, Mr. Gold Knight."

"Please, call me Hyoga."

"Of course, Mr. Hyoga."

"Just Hyoga. You do not have to bow, please stand up."

"Uh, sure." Atka nervously stood, his wet clothes still slowed his movements.

"You are soaking wet. You can get sick out here like that."

"No, I'm fine. The cold doesn't really bother me."

"Not at all?"

"Well, a little, but I just swam here."

"You swam here? From where?"

"From over there." He pointed behind, to the horizon.

"The other coast? You mean Alaska? That is over 50 miles away from us!"

"Well, it took time. There was swimming and walking, but I finally made it."

"Finally made it? You mean you intended to swim the strait?"

"I worked hard at it, but I finally did it."

"Why would you travel all this way on your own?"

"Ever since I could remember, I was able to survive the cold better than anyone else in my village. When I was younger, I decided I should work harder to be able to hunt a whale on my own. I got lost, and I struggled to get home. Ever since, I promised to be strong that even if I got lost, I could still survive the cold." He looked up and down Hyoga. "That armor doesn't look warm. You can survive this cold better than I can?"

"Well, let us just say I got a head start over you." He indicated for the boy to follow him. "But what are you going to do now that you came here? You must be tired from traveling already."

"I just need a good night's sleep, then I can make my way back."

"How long does it take?"

"Three days. It would be nice if I could do it faster."

"You can do it."

"What makes you say that?"

"I can sense the potential within you." The blizzard waned, as if it only fell for Hyoga's rescue of the boy. "If you don't mind, I want to accompany you on your return trip home."

"Um, Hyoga, why are you out here?"

"Me?" He paused a moment, then answered. "Call me sentimental. I used to live in this land when I was your age. This is where I became strong."

"You think if I kept swimming between here and my home, I could become strong?"

"It is a start. I can teach you to go beyond that." Atka could not forget the way Hyoga looked ahead as he spoke. His eye looked both serene and stern, the sort of look only the hardiest men held. This Hyoga was younger than Atka's initial guess. The boy swore there was a gentle glow coming from this man, and it put him at ease.

**Ice Bonds**

Atka was an hour into his training regiment when he heard a faint sound. It came from beyond a drift, so he decided to check it out. It couldn't hurt his training if he worked more, he figured. Instead of a calm decline from the other side of the drift, there was a sudden cliff. The sound was louder here, and sure enough he found that it was a plea for help. He followed the sound as best as he could, and discovered the person below, among the ice. His entire body save for his head had been trapped inside the ice. His cry was faint, worn from an unknown amount of time. The tide was rising, already brushing against his mouth. It would not take long for the tide to drown him this way.

"Don't worry! I'll get you out!" He dove in, finding this water particularly cold. It did no good to move the block of ice which held him, as it was a projection of the glacier. "I'm going to have to break you out! Hold on!"

Atka gulped, since this was the most daring feat he would do, and under such pressure that a human life depended on him. He struck the ice near his left arm, but it only chipped. Blow after blow failed to fracture the ice. He was sweating now, both from panic and effort. Time was precious, and already the entrapped person faced directly up at the sky to keep breath.

"This ice is being... fed its strength. I would have... gotten it, but I wore myself out before I learned." Although in a tight situation, his english was clear enough.

"Where is it?"

"There's a vent from the bottom of this slope. The colder... water from the pole is hitting this spot. If it's blocked, this ice will weaken, and... the water won't rise as fast."

"At the bottom?"

"You can make it... in about 3 minutes! Just don't stop... no matter what you do, don't stop! If you do, you'll get frozen too!"

A new chill overwhelmed Atka. This was the most critical life or death moment her ever faced. He had to brave the most cruel, frigid depths underwater, then break open the ice that trapped the poor man. This was beyond anything his training prepared him for. "I don't know if I can."

"Don't doubt! If you doubt, you'll be as dead as I am!" He suddenly caught water in his breath, and struggled to avoid drowning.

"Right!" Atka clenched a fist, and threw all his courage into it. He dove, and, without stopping, sought the vent. The water was murky, much too dark to see any opening in the glacier. He couldn't slow down to change direction too much to search. He needed to make as few turns as possible, and keep his speed. He gathered all his strength and pushed into the depths. He struck solid ice, the edges too strong and sharp that his hands cut. He desperately fed his pain to his speed. There was no option for him to tend to the cuts. Then he felt it, the greater chill. A current fought him, but he gradually prevailed. He found the mouth of the outlet of the coldest water imaginable. The salinity hurt his eyes, and he shut them since his sight no longer contributed to his navigation. Then he was in for a surprise. He had rushed into this problem with no way to break the glacier vent closed. There was no free chunk of ice or rock either. The only way to close it was form new ice.

He was desperate. If he failed now, not only would he die, but so would the life that depended on his success. He couldn't let the unthinkable happen. Then he felt heavy. He had slowed down! The weight of the water, and the force of the current, coerced him towards the jagged ice, towards deeper water and doom. His head struck an outcrop of ice, causing him to let go of air bubbles. With only less than a minute of air, the problem of being lost to sea, and the failure to save the trapped man, this was his darkest hour! Atka just wanted to break through everything, to burst out of this hellish doom.

**Mr. Ice Guy**

Atka clung to the very edge of the cliff. His arm had already lost feeling, but he could see that it wasn't going to last. All the numerous cuts coupled with the tension of his own body, and that of the unconscious one he was rescuing, caused his arm to stretch at the joints, and even tear at the muscles. He didn't know if the man drowned already, but he couldn't risk time and check. He had to get the both of them to safety. With all his remaining stamina, he hurled the body over the edge and onto the safe ground. His hand was too numb to feel when to let go, and this saved him, because the flying body pulled him along as well. He had suspended half his body on the top ledge now, but his stamina was gone. His weight began its slow return to the icy abyss below. However, a new grip took hold. The arm that bore the stranger's weight was held in turn by the stranger. There was only thoughtless emotion, and the man's cold body eerily jerked and flung the collapsed boy over to the ice nearby. Both bodies remained still.

A polar bear roamed near and sniffed at the two bodies. Satisfied with the discovery, the bear raised his mighty arm to formalize the scavenge. It would've torn Atka to pieces, but the other body instantly dug his hand into its neck. He pushed up and and eventually lifted the beast off the ground. Strength was running out, and he spent most of it in a final snap of the creature's neck. He nearly fell first, which would've smothered him under the massive carcass. His second wind kept him on his feet, and he pulled Atka along the ground. The bear was now the discarded body. The desperation for home exceeded the fatigue of his entire being. As slow as his staggered march was, the man dragged Atka back to his hut. He set the boy on the bed before crumpling right on top of him.

In the distance, upon a peak stood a lone observer. _I'm sorry I could only watch, but I could not have any less faith in you than my master had faith in us. As unfortunate as it was, it was the test of saints. You have no idea how happy I am that the both of you overcome such adversity._ The knightly man looked up at the aurora sky. For a brief moment, he saw the image of his mentor. _These two are the students you deserved, they are every bit the saints you wanted in us._ He began his contemplative descent from the mountain.

Atka awoke to a familiar face. "M-master?"

"No, just a friend. Just keep sleeping. You need your rest."

Atka dreamt the events of his ordeal, and it was too much to bear that he snapped up from sleep. He hyperventilated, then relaxed to see that he was in a cabin. At bedside was the same familiar person. "Where... where is this?"

"You're in my cabin. Thanks to you, we're both alive."

"You were the one in the ice!"

"Yes. I owe you my life."

"That means I really made it!"

"You said 'master.' Do you mean Master Hyoga?"

"Yeah! How did you know?"

"He's my master too."

"Wait, so that's why you were able to give me advice back then?"

"I was reckless, but yes, I told you so you wouldn't make the same mistake I did."

He wondered why Hyoga made no mention of another student before. "Uh, if we're both Aquarius Hyoga's students, we should be friends."

He put his hand out to shake. "Griffith."

Atka took his hand. "Atka." They shook. "Hey, this is your bed, you must have been put out because of me." Atka tried to get out of the bed, but found it unusually soft.

"Nah, don't worry about it. I can make more beds."

Atka found himself unable to feel any sort of mattress. On closer inspection, he found the bed to be nothing more than a mountain of pelts. All of them bears, even polar. "Holy smokes! You tanned this many bears?"

"Well, here in Siberia, there's not much else to do."

"Where is all that meat? Did you sell it?"

"Well... not exactly." He awkwardly laughed the topic away. "No big deal. Actually, what I want to know is when did you last see the master?"

"Oh, just yesterday, why?"

"I haven't seen him in weeks. I'm a bit annoyed, especially when I improved so much."

"Since I saw him so recently, that means he intended for you to be alone so long."

"Probably, but there isn't much left out here that I need to survive against. The polar icecap temperature is the only challenge left."

"You seem like you've been training under the master for years. I can tell you're so much stronger than me."

"Years? Heh, you wish. I've been out here for almost a year."

"No way! You even look like you could even teach me!"

"Nah, I'm too young."

"Too young?"

"What do you mean 'too young?' How old did you think I am?"

"I don't know. 20 maybe?"

"Whoa! Easy on the years! I am nowhere near as old as that!"

"But you look so grown!"

"Eleven. I'm 11 years old."

"Impossible! You can't be 11!"

"Well I am. Master said I am big for my age."

"You can't be 11, because I'm 11!"

"You? But you look like such a kid."

"Hello? Eleven years old IS a kid! Where did you crawl out from? A rock?"

"Yes..."

"Really now--What? What did you just say?"

"I crawled out of a rock." Griffith was met with total bewilderment. "That's all I can remember, climbing out from under a rock. You think I'm making that up?"

Their eyes stared for a moment. "You're pretty freaky." Atka didn't notice that Griffith took it as an insult.

"OK! Enough chit-chat! I think we should resume our training! You know how Master Hyoga is! It's train! Train! Train!" He had no trouble handling his peer to the door.

"Hey wait! What's the rush?" Any response from Griffith was cut off by a tremendous, unearthly groan. "What in the world was that?"

"It's the wind, you know. It only sounds weird when it hits the cabin! Out you go!" What started as a toss ended up a long-range pitch. Atka landed headfirst in a hill of snow... a league away. He couldn't even see the cabin anymore. A blizzard rolled in.

"What was that all about? That was mean of him. I thought we were friends."

Meanwhile, Griffith braced himself against the door. "Not now! Not now! Please!" The monstrous grumble resounded, this time twitching his abdomen. "No! Why do you have to force me to be this way? Just leave me alone!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, and a demonic expression possessed his face.

Atka heard the yell. It sounded as if the person was in great pain. "Griffith!" He desperately pushed through the dense snow. What was a burdened trudge became an exhilirated run on the very surface of the snow. His weight had not loaded the snow because he ran so fast. What felt like hours was really minutes when he caught sight of the light of the cabin. That would've been his final destination were it not for the fact it denotated.

Once the column of tossed debris, snow, and dirt cleared, Atka could make out the humanoid shape at the epicenter. He stopped his progress when he found the entire abdomen of this individual was a mouth. The maw gaped open, ready to bite and tear into whatever meat was close enough. Unfortunately for Atka, this berserker spotted him, and began his mad dash to his quarry. About halfway into his charge, a golden impact ejected him far away. It seemed like lightning struck the ground, such was Hyoga's arrival. It wasn't over, as the berserker recovered and sped at Hyoga with higher bloodlust. Hyoga made no hesitation in performing his Aurora Execution, a technique Atka could only dream of performing. He knew its power from a demonstration before. He stared in awe as the berserker broke most of the attack away with his own use of Diamond Dust. He still took the remaining impact, but it was no longer lethal.

"Master!" Atka forgot his place, he was so worked up over what went on, and hurried to Hyoga.

"Atka, no! It's too dangerous!" With his attention diverted, Hyoga left himself open to the berserker's Aurora Thunder Attack. His pauldron coated in ice, the gold cloth's analogue of being frozen, since the cloth itself could not freeze. The force behind it still pushed Hyoga back. Another Diamond Dust pushed Hyoga down to one knee; the element of surprise made this much a difference. Atka saw the berserker begin another Aurora Thunder Attack, this one intended as a point blank maneuver. "No! You'll be destroyed!" Hyoga was unable to stop his student from shielding his master. The attack was imminent, with the berserker already upon Atka.

Nothing happened. Atka remained clenched against the mysterious man. He felt the demonic teeth of the maw brush against his cheek. He looked up to see the man's face. It had calmed down to the point of familiarity: Griffith. He did not move. All of his raised cosmo had vanished. Cluelessness is what kept them frozen in place for several seconds. Atka finally let go, and Griffith crumpled before the boy.

"Griffith..." He saw his new friend crying. "Griffith... you stopped for me." His sniveling ceased. Hyoga was just as shocked as ever. "That means... you're really my friend." The tears were different now.

"At... ka..." He clung to the boy, his sobbing a mixture of sadness and joy.

Hyoga no longer wondered of Griffith's frenzy. Even as Griffith cried compassionately, his face still held the demonic shadow. The two versions of the same boy had become a single Griffith. He finally conquered the darkness inside him. _Athena... Only Athena could have brought these boys together! This small boy saved all of us! Atka... you have no idea how happy I am to see this compassion in Griffith. The two of you made a miracle._ He closed his eye in resolve when a tear fell from it.

Hyoga let them cry and settle down before breaking the scene. The sky had cleared now. "You both reached a new plateau in your training. Griffith, you presented strength. Atka, you presented heart. You are very different, but complimentary. Now you must continue to learn from each other. I can only mentor you now, since you both have all that a saint needs. From here you carve your own paths toward sainthood. I watched everything that the two of you endured. That sea you encountered, the coldest water that jeopardized your lives, that is your next plateau. Let me show you what I mean." Albeit weary, they followed him to the edge of the glacier. The trek could have been another test in its own right. The scene of the sea was inviting, but hid its deadly peril well. "At the bottom of this body of water is something that doesn't naturally belong. I want each of you to bring me something from it. When you do, I will make you saints. This is the rest of your training. I don't care how long it takes."


	5. July 1992

It was a good sound, the sound of granite being pulverized. Simply hearing it was enough to continue producing it. It was quite simple a process. The granite was simply struck in any way possible. This was how he went about. No hammer, no chisel, no stone nor tool. No, he simply used his hands. His bare hands, callous with an inhuman constitution. A punch, a chop, and even rubbing those obtuse edges were his methods. He felt his way about his absurd progress, he couldn't see his work anyway. The depths of the cavern were void of light. Even if it were lit, the dust from his excavation was hazardous. Eyes shut, breathing shallow, he put his whole life into his hands. This cave was not natural, it was made solely by this crazy youth.

He stopped, letting the dust settle. His breathing relaxed after having been constricted for hours. He blindly stepped about, finding the rubble at his feet. It gathered this mess, cobble by cobble, pebble by pebble, and even the grains that collected in his grasp by chance. There was a slight moisture at the knuckle of his pinkie. This happened often, though not as frequent as early in his insane regiment. Once the day's rubble was gathered, a good hundred pounds of it, in a crate, he carried it through his memorized path toward the exit. Once the warmth of the setting sunlight fell on him, he placed his load aside. Eyes still shut, he made his way to a river. Once there, he rinsed himself. Here he was able to study his hands. The years of abuse gnarled them with scar tissue and discoloration. Even his nails had beaded, like they were turning into claws. Large, these hands suited the equally large forearms. He stood and tried to breathe deeply. He ended up coughing blood, but this was acceptable. It was his goal to attain superhuman levels in his quest, especially when it meant his life was short-lived. He didn't care for longevity.

Who was this madman? Nay, not yet even a man, this a boy of insane condition. This was his latest regiment of his fierce life. All he did was use his hands to break down the next strongest obstacle. Ever since he could walk, this was his purpose in life. It all started at that obscure monastery. He never forgot the old man's story. Somewhere in the world, there was a man who could pierce anything with his hands. The other children only took it as a folk tale, something to be amused with. This youth, however, took it to heart as a goal. He wanted to be like that man. A wind blew and the chill took him out of the daydream. He observed the flow of the water, and pondered if maybe he was ready. He resumed the position against stone, and struck against the river. There was nothing special about this strike, and this disappointed the boy. He struck again and again, and still there was nothing more than a splash. He narrowed his eyes. What was so different about the water than stone? Water was in constant motion, not still like rock. Perhaps to contain motion itself within himself, it was something to try. He focused on nothing but rushing against the water as if he was a river. The strike which followed caused a bend in the surface that he never saw before. This ripple traveled to the bend, evidence that a new force was in his fist. This was the breakthrough he wanted, and he repeated this trail again until he could confidently reproduce it. This, he felt, was worthwhile to show to the man who introduced him to this concept. He quickly gathered his load and began his travel up the mountainside.

The humble hut on the mountainside was a welcome sight. He was still unused to the idea of the place, even after a few months. A life of isolation made settlement unfamiliar to him, but it was something that was breaking down in his time here. He set the load down for when he would leave this mountain again. He passed the hut and followed the path up a slope to the waterfall. There, at the projection of rock was the man he highly regarded, his master. The master meditated. He thought it best to let him be, but his retreat was interrupted.

"He won't be long." He had not noticed the young woman to have walked close to him.

"Really, Shunrei? Master Shiryu meditates for hours, though."

"I just brewed his favorite tea."

He smelled a pleasant aroma, and figured this was the tea. A calm voice suddenly sounded next to him. "You ended your training a little early. Is something the matter?"

"Master Shiryu, I think I reached a new level!"

The boy was unaware that his master secretly thought "Again?" Shiryu remained calm and instead kept matters forward. "You would have to show me so I can show you what you must do next. As for you, Konrad, I know you like tea, but you should already know how to brew it yourself when alone."

"But I like Shunrei's tea best, master." Konrad slid down the steep side of the mountain and stumbled towards the others before coming to a stop.

"So I see." There was a pause. "What's so funny, Konrad?"

The boy tried to hold back his laughter. "Sorry, master, it's just that you said 'so I see."

"I'm not sure I understand."

Shiryu's dry demeanor wore out Konrad's point of humor. "Never mind."

"I guess we should all settle down for tea, then." Shiryu returned to the hut with the others following.

It was annoying to constantly hear Konrad spouting random names. "Fei! Bruce! Jackie! Carter! Jet! Donnie!"

"No, no, especially no, no, no, and no!"

"You can't keep going on without a name. Sooner or later, you need one."

"I know master, but I can't seem to decide on a name if a certain someone keeps bothering me about it." The nameless boy found the gulp of his tea much too hot, and he desperately tried to survive the scalding heat without showing it. His hand trembled.

"Oh no, you went overboard again, didn't you!" Shunrei worried about the boy. "Let me get something for that cut. You should relax your hands now instead of stressing them any further."

"I'm fine, Shunrei."

"She has a point. Even though training is essential, it doesn't amount to anything if it destroys you in the process."

The boy took it as an order. "Yes, master."

"I think your training should take a different approach."

"How so, master?" Again, the sip was too hot to take so suddenly.

"Perhaps you and Konrad should train together now. You both have shown discipline in your independent training, but there is very little to evaluate in the way of combat. So far I've had one-on-one sessions with Konrad, but I've let you be alone for a long time already. Technically, you don't have to call me 'master' yet, as I haven't taught you anything new."

"But you did, master, you taught me how to break a river. That's what I meant what happened today!"

"All I said was that rock is nowhere as complicated as water. It is you who applied your interpretation of it. No, what I can teach you is above that, and I feel you've been ready for it already." A strange sound caught the attention of everyone. They turned to see Konrad grasping at his throat. His face was beet red, and he suddenly cupped his hands over his mouth. Whatever tea he had tried to swallow was now a waterfall through of his hands.

"Gross! How could you do that?"

"Too hot!" Konrad was in a panic for a moment, followed by an awkward silence. As if he wasn't in pain before, he broke into a fit of laughter.

The nameless boy looked at Shiryu. "Do I really have to train with him?"


	6. April 1997

**Master Kiki**

"So you all want to be the student of the Aries saint? Well, I got news for you. There can only be one student of Aries at a time." Kiki, without his cloth, strutted before the crowd of trainees. "Of course I don't like an unnecessary brawl, so I've come up with a simple test. The first one to get me off my feet completely will become my student!"

They just looked at each other in surprise. The first trainee to brave the test simply grabbed Kiki as best he could. Everyone was in disbelief when they saw he was instantly upside-down, and from there he fell on his head. A bunch of trainees charged against Kiki. Everyone of their punches reflected into force back at them. Still more trainees joined to form a pushing line. Needless to say, a trench of traction formed in the opposite direction, despite the fact he stood perfectly motionless. Another group of trainees dug at his feet, hoping to upheave him that way. An inch into the soil found it impenetrable. This was wrong because he had only stood there recently, when they knew the ground only dirt. Kiki had somehow formed the very spot he stood on into stone.

A distance away, a particularly young trainee watched in awe. After seeing so many he considered stronger than him, he began to think it was hopeless. A whisper caught his attention. "Are you trying to become Kiki's student?"

The boy turned and saw another boy who looked the same age. "Yeah, I want to, but now I don't know."

"You're just not confident in yourself. Try to think differently than everyone else does. You can do anything you set your mind to."

"Really? But I don't know what to do."

The boy watched Kiki remain dominant. "He's not going anywhere for a while. Come on, let's have some fun in the meantime, then you can come back here."

"Is that a good idea, to leave like this?"

"Trust me, no one is going to succeed for a long time at Kiki's test."

"OK." He stood up and followed the boy to a path. Now he saw that this boy had a lizard tail. He watched it sway about, then instinctively grabbed it and pet it. "I like your tail."

To say the boy was touched would say a bit much. "We'll be slowed down if you keep playing with my tail."

"Oh, sorry."

"Don't worry, you can play with it when we get to where we're going."

"OK." He let go and entertained the idea. "What's your name?"

"Nix. And you?" Nix was how he imagined the spelling of his name, but he had yet to see it in print.

"Hadrian."

"That's a pretty name."

"You think so? I always remembered having it, but I don't know why."

"It sounds pleasant, and powerful. Come on, we've got an appointment." Nyx led the boy down many paths, and it became clear they were leaving Sanctuary. Once past the gates, it was a walk along a dismal highway, then the outskirts of Athens. "We're here."

"A gas station?"

"A bit more than that, come in." He opened the door to the small mart. A wall was lined with magazines, some of them concealed. "Take your pick."

"These? What are these?" Hadrian picked one out and browsed through some pages. "Whoa... how come they're not wearing clothes? And where are their--" Nyx closed the magazine.

"Here, take a few more, and I think you got what you need."

"You're actually picking up more of those, Nyx?" The owner was still a young man, but rather scruffy.

"It's more for him."

"I wonder what Sanctuary is teaching you kids these days." He rung up the items, and Nyx paid in some kind of small bullion. "Heh, these things are good because they pay for the trip to exchange it. Take care, kids."

"Alright, time for you to get back to your master."

"Of Sanctuary?"

"No, your master, Kiki."

"My master? But I didn't pass his test yet."

"Don't worry about it."

"Can I play with your tail?"

"Oh, right. I forgot. Yeah, go ahead."

"When did you get a jawbreaker?"

His speech took some muffle from the hard candy. "Oh, I alwayff haff one."

"Do you have another one?"

He removed the candy whenever he spoke. "Well, maybe, if you rub a little closer on the tail. Yeah, like that, a bit closer."

Hadrian's hands reached the base of the tail when he heard Nyx make funny noises. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, never better. Keep going."

"But, the jawbreaker..."

"I really like what you're doing, so I'll give you a bunch when we get back to Sanctuary."

When Kiki and the worn-out trainees were in sight again, Hadrian found his arms full of jawbreakers and the magazines. "Where do you keep all these jawbreakers? You don't look like you have any pockets." Nyx had already disappeared, leaving the kid to sit alone on a rock to enjoy his candy. He got curious about the magazines again, and decided to thumb through one while he was halfway into the jewbreaker. He only reached the third page before wondering why this magazine was so weird. He realized the test was still going on, and that's when Kiki noticed him.

"You haven't done anything in the test. Are you sure you're not here by accident?" Kiki was next to Hadrian already. "Hey, what are you doing? What's this?"

"I don't know. Do you know why they look funny down here?" He showed the page to Kiki, and the saint instantly made a dry cough. He gently, but swiftly, took the magazine.

"Hey, this is new..." Some sort of daze took over him, and he slowly paced by while intently studying the pictures. He took a seat on a boulder, facing away from the open area.

Hadrian heard Kiki breathing heavily. "Are you alright, mister?"

This practically snapped Kiki awake. "Oh what? Who?" It's as if he totally lost his bearings. All of the exhausted trainees started yelling. "What's going on?"

"Aries Kiki! You're not on your feet anymore!"

"What?" He looked down. "How?" It all made sense. "Nooooo! This isn't supposed to happen!"

"What's not supposed to happen, mister?"

"This test was supposed to be rigged... I didn't want any student! I only pretended to offer to teach someone when the pope requested I take a student!" He covered his mouth. "Uh-oh, I wasn't supposed to say that."

"Really? Why not?"

"Uh... long story." He sighed and regained his composure. "Well, kid, looks like you did it. You passed the test. As a saint of my word, I have to honor the promise I made. You're now my #1 student. H-hadrian was it?"

"Yeah, but how did you know?"

Kiki tapped his forehead. "That's one of the tricks you'll learn from me." He faced the losers. "You can all crawl back to the arena! Today just wasn't your day."

"So when does the training begin?"

"A bit anxious aren't we? Well, the training is back where I trained when I was your age. Before we go there, we'll take some time in the Aries temple. Aaand you won't be needing these." He took the rest of the magazines. "I'll take good care of them. Just think of it as a trade-off for your first exercise."


	7. January 1996

_Why me?_ The young teenager addled his way to the tavern, reluctant to follow through with his mission. _This sort of thing is beneath me. I shouldn't have to run errands just because I wanted a different master._ Just days earlier, the boy was spoken to by none other than the pope, Shaina.

"We cannot tolerate this audacity, Jun. You were supposed to be on Death Queen Island. Anyone else would be killed for defiance, but you managed to survive against the black saints. Normally I would outright execute you and the black saints for their failure. However, I was instructed above to permit you a second chance. Athena believes that because you bothered to return to Sanctuary, albeit in stupidity, you are not a lost cause." Even though her face hid behind the mask, Jun preferred this to the direct scorn of her eyes.

"But-"

"Silence!" The power was unlike anything he felt. At first it was sheer awe, but pain sobered his senses. Was that an attack from the pope? "You should be grateful I am even speaking to you, let alone giving you a second chance. Few trainees are honored with the audience of the pope, do not take it for granted. You are not without burden of guilt, so you have to redeem yourself."

"What do you want me to do, your holiness?"

"You are not the first to defy the order of Sanctuary. I am ashamed to say this, but there have been deserters that not only betrayed Athena, but steal her gift of the cosmo for selfish reasons in the world. One such felon is a man by the name of Rhodes. Many years ago he abandoned his training not long before the test for a silver cloth. Had he been loyal, he may have won the cloth, but his evil still keeps him as an unrepentant bully. He has not lost his talent with cosmo. We know his location and activity, but we could never spare a saint to take care of him. Seeing as how you contend at the level of a bronze saint, you have the means to enact our justice. Since you have no cloth, you are still disposable. Disobey your orders, and Sanctuary will have enough motive to send a saint to eliminate **two** deserters in one stroke." She stepped over to the balcony, and faced the great span of scenery. "You are tangled with Sanctuary, Athena, and our wars. Do not ever think you are free." She was finished, and a saint had arrived to escort the boy out of the temple.

They were on the steps to Aquarius already. "You're really lucky, kid."

"Why? I'm not free."

"You're alive. That's all that matters."

Jun blurted his retort. "I never asked to be alive. There's no freedom in that."

"That attitude won't work for you, you know." Jun couldn't bring himself to respond, so he just scowled the whole way to the entrance of Sanctuary.

Even though he replayed the scene in his head countless times, he could not get over his second thoughts. Maybe he had been out of line. Why was he afraid of a seek-and-destroy mission? Even on Death Queen Island he wanted serious action. Perhaps it was the casual "silver" that Shaina slipped into her briefing. Jun was on the path to a bronze cloth, but he was assigned to that path. To be a student for a silver cloth was an entirely different level. Jun knew what he was capable of, especially the fact he escaped black saints. No, he did not defeat a black saint, and surely would have lost had he committed to a true, 1-on-1 battle. His wits and his cowardice kept him alive. This Rhodes was someone stronger than a black saint, since he was meant to reach silver sainthood. The problem with this case was that Jun had no escape. He had to kill or be killed.

Rhodes hid himself all the way in america, in a suburb outside New York City. Sanctuary had ways of sending someone to any place in the world. Usually it consisted of making the traveler a stowaway. Jun had a timetable of a week to accomplish the task. If he failed to kill Rhodes or return to his ship back to Athens, he would be branded just like Rhodes. Pope Shaina, like all popes, would know his actions.

Jun entered the tavern. As if this country wasn't strange enough, this den of bikers, thugs, truckers, and outlaws was even more alien to him. The large, hairy men just glanced at him and went about their business. Rhodes was definitely here, but which man was he? There just wasn't enough control nor emission of cosmo to determine the target. He reached the bar, and perhaps he looked inquisitively enough that the bartender paid him attention.

"What do you want kid? This ain't no school."

"I'm looking for Rhodes."

The bartender stopped wiping the glass, as if startled. "What do you have to do with Rhodes? He's got no kids to be minding." He glanced to the wall at the adjacent side. A man had just exited the bathroom. "That's him over there. Don't tell him I said anything." He hastily went about his work.

Jun spotted the man. He blended in with the bikers well, a bearded tough-looking man whose presence spoke more than his mouth. He was starting a game of pool when Jun approached. "Are you Rhodes?" This got his attention.

"The only people that know that name are in this building, and I never seen your snot-nose before. What bitch put you up to this to get money out of me?"

This was the critical moment. Jun stared at fate. Whatever response he could give would sentence him to doom. "You're wanted dead for deserting." The surrounding gang overheard and laughed.

Rhodes of course didn't take it seriously. Was he really someone who had anything to do with Sanctuary? He seemed so mundane, with no hint of cosmo. "Deserting what? 'Nam?"

"No, Sanctuary." The last syllable just left his mouth when the pool cue sped right at his eye. Even his hand could not stop it, and the bloody tip almost reached his pupil after it skewered his hand. Something told him that the cue tip would only progress, and his body instinctively jerked aside. His other palm broke through the stick already when he ascertained that not only did Rhodes continue his aggression, he did so with a sizeable cosmo.

He backhanded the boy into the table, and delivered a concentrated attack. Jun rolled away in the nick of time, as the blow easily shattered the table. Most of the patrons lacked the guts to spectate, and fled outside. Jun nervously skidded backwards on the floor to avoid the outlaw's stomps. He was nearly upon Jun when the kid defiantly kicked up at the man's jaw. It was a mistake, and Rhodes capitalized by grabbing the ankle and flinging him into a wall. Wood panel splintered from the impact, and Jun fell down rather dazed. There was no doubt about it, he was in way over his head. The cosmo that so deceptively hid before was now vibrant and every bit as much as Jun feared. He almost scrambled, but his hand was too weak from the injury. He suddenly felt weightless. Rhodes held him up by the neck, the grip already strangling him. Jun kicked his enemy, but there was no effect. Rhodes responded with a punch to the face. It was unlike anything Jun ever felt before. He lost sense of reality, and for a moment had no concept of existing. The exploded cosmo of that punch was genuine.

Shadows and shapes gathered, and the sense of moisture covered his painful face. He rubbed, finding more blood. Pavement? The blow sent him outside into the parking lot! A figure left the hole in the tavern, no doubt Rhodes finishing what he started. Again the hand strangled his small neck. Again Rhodes cocked a fist. The voice of Shaina echoed in Jun's mind. This man really had trained with cosmo. It seemed so big before, certainly nowhere as large as Shaina, but it was still the biggest with the intent to kill Jun. However, now Jun noticed something else. It was regular. There was a pattern to it, and Rhodes made no hesitation to display his cosmo. The pattern tied right into that punch, and he felt all that energy wind itself for the offense. The man dedicated his cosmo to a single blow, and having it land was its only use. If it missed, that was it, Rhodes lost his attack. The fist moved slower this time, because Jun ascertained the cosmo he was dealing with.

Ground. He felt ground, unlike before. Jun saw the punch arrive, but he single-mindedly thought about that punch missing its mark. His own cosmo operated, and seemed to have a mind of its own. The next thing Jun knew, he was hunched over, and Rhodes had fallen behind him.

_What just happened? My cosmo... burst?_ He turned to find Rhodes already recovered. _This happened with Black Lupus. His attack somehow missed, but I was safe. That time I just ran away, but I can't do that this time. I have to fight him. I have to kill him. But that burst, I need it to happen again. I need to figure out what went on._ Rhodes charged, and like before, Jun saw how he prepared his punch. _Just a one-trick pony... a saint is supposed to learn the technique of his constellation. This guy just stopped in the middle of that training, and has been stuck there all these years! I can use this!_ The punch came at an even slower speed, and Jun could finally what was to be done. He parried the attack with his own cosmo, and thwarted Rhodes completely away. _I can defend, but I need to take him down!_ Again Rhodes charged, and it seemed even slower. Again, Jun parried the blow. In the midst of the parry, Rhodes tried something else, and his shin dug into the boy's side. _No! It's a distraction, it doesn't have anywhere near the power as his punch!_ Jun stopped his developed reaction to the punch, and instead took offense against the leg. The chop, with a burning cosmo, mashing into the bone and flesh. The leg distorted to disturbing shapes, and Jun took the initiative to follow the attack. He kicked at Rhodes, but it was a strike that only rode on the momentum of the first. _No, I can't seem to keep burning my cosmo!_

Rhodes had fallen away, but did his best to recover. It was impossible to stand, because all the bone had shattered to splinters, rendering him permanently crippled. Of course he had been yelling, but his anger would not diminish with his cosmo. He took to his remaining three, and braced himself. Jun wondered what he planned, but it was too late. Rhodes heaved his entire body high in the air in order to execute an attack. Jun tried to run, but somehow Rhodes altered his flight path.

_I can't run! He'll survive his fall with ease! I have to attack him!_ The incoming kick made its way to the boy, but Jun had spontaneously burned his cosmo in desperation. His fist met the boot, and the eerie sound of smashing bone accompanied the destruction of the outlaw's other leg. Rhodes crashed, unable to move from the shock. Jun continued his momentum and dove right on top of Rhodes. At first the burning cosmo carried with his flurry of punches to the face, but it diminished over time. Eventually Jun was simply beating a broken skull in further, the man already dead. Gasping for breath, Jun ran out of the rush that propelled him to victory. He staggered to his feet, unaware of the crowd that watched in awe. Pain overwhelmed him, as his arm had been broken from challenging that kick. Clutching his broken arm, he slowly made his way back to where he came from.


	8. March 1998

Shaina scanned the 6 saints before her. She called the meeting with the gold saints to discuss what she believed to be a serious matter. Five of these saints were always the ones that saved Sanctuary time and time again, but Sanctuary needed a different sort of saving. It needed restoration and preservation. For several years the order has maintained its meager leftovers from the holy wars. More saints were needed, and only two new saints had been formally indoctrinated in Sanctuary since the war with Hades. A more dedicated effort to raising the next generation of saints was needed. That is not to say these gold saints were without students. The problem was advancement, the students had not yet been given tests for cloths.

"You know why I called this meeting." It was a reform after the holy wars that the pope counseled with the gold saints in a more equal fashion. Even though Shaina was pope, the unusual address of Holy Mother, she felt better confidence in leading Sanctuary together with her peers and friends rather than as a solitary dictator upon the mountain. Her expression hid behind the mask, but the saints knew her feelings. "Explain to me, in your words, why you hold up on advancing your students."

Sagittarius Seiya replied in his usual manner, with no regard for titles. "But Shaina, Nyx was able to get his cloth."

"Yes, but that does not excuse your method with Niou, Nemo, and Agryos."

"But Shaina, it's not that we believe our students unworthy. It's the other way around. We don't know how to advance them." His resemblance to the last saint of Sagittarius, Aioros, was uncanny.

"Seiya, that does not answer my question."

Libra Shiryu, his eyes shut calmly as ever, gave Seiya's meaning. "We do not know what trials and tests to administer our students. The same trials we underwent for our bronze cloths are nowhere near the level of adversity that our students require. We do not have the convenience of holy wars to test them, either." Like his old master before him, Shiryu had facial hair, but in fu manchu fashion.

"I see. Perhaps I should not have left that responsibility to you all."

"You know what our students are like. Even as teachers, we are awestruck at the prodigies they are." Aquarius Hyoga also looked perfectly matched to his gold cloth. "Unlike our masters, we did not simultaneously instruct so many promising students at once. I have tried testing them, but for what cloths? The tests for our bronze cloths went unmet for hundreds of years, because they were so discriminating, yet each of us is supposed to invent 2 or 3 tests of greater challenge? I had to shatter the glacier that made the Cygnus cloth. It had no previous saint. Do I seal it inside the Ice Coffin and expect my student to break it free, only to repeat the test for my second student? It cheapens the cloth. We are supposed to raise a new generation of saints in a lifetime when the last generation took centuries to gather."

The opinion weighed heavily on Shaina. "Then we must devise a fair test for all our students."

"I have already done that." Leo Ikki stood every bit as intimidating as he did in the Phoenix cloth years before.

Shaina could not penetrate the mental barrier of the Leo saint. She was as clueless to his thoughts as much as the other gold saints. "Ikki?"

"Even though we passed individual tests for our bronze cloths, our true tests came immediately after." He paused and reminisced of that adventure so long ago. "I speak of the Galaxian Tournament."

Shaina recalled the contest for the Pegasus cloth, and understood Ikki's angle. "A tournament for cloths is not uncommon in the history of Sanctuary."

Virgo Shun remembered the unpleasant experiences. "But Ikki, the Galaxian Tournament never concluded. You and the black saints--"

"Exactly. That was our threshold between childhood and sainthood." Ikki's eyes grew fierce, but with just purpose.

"Brother..." Shun realized what Ikki was driving at, and the others felt that sentiment.

Seiya was behind enough to ask a minor question. "Wait, Ikki, what cloth would they be fighting for?"

"The same one we fought for."

"But I'm wearing--"

Shiryu interrupted. "No, Seiya, he means the fake gold cloth."

"Fake gold cloth?"

"You mean you never knew all these years?" Hyoga was surprised of Seiya's ignorance. "That cloth in the colliseum was a fake. The old man had forged the cloth to act as a decoy. What was on display was just plastic. Ikki just put on a show, playing our ignorance. He had taken the cloth from another location."

"But Ikki, isn't the fake gold cloth lost?"

"It was Athena who had the Graude Foundation recover the fake cloth. Right now it sits safely in the Graude Museum."

"The Graude Foundation?" It was a name that slipped far in the back of Seiya's mind. Even when he made regular visits to his old orphanage in Japan, he forgot about the big company. "It's still around, even with Miss Saori gone?"

"Seiya, the Graude Foundation was willed by Mitsumasa Kido to pass to Saori Kido. In the event Saori Kido died, the will stipulated the line of inheritance after her. The oldest surviving son of Mitsumasa Kido inherits the Graude Foundation in its entirety. Ursa Geki outright refused inheritance, which passes the inheritance to the second oldest surviving son."

Shun undertood it first. "Ikki, that means you!"

"Yes, Shun. I've led a double-life as a gold saint and heir to the largest conglomerate in the world, but the position allows me to better serve Sanctuary. I left the company mostly in the care of those that were most loyal to Saori Kido. It was through the Graude Foundation that all of you have some of your students. I know a saint should not be so worldly as to own a business, but it is difficult to find someone shrewd, loyal to Sanctuary, and not a saint."

"I've learned too many things today." Seiya wished to sit down after hearing the full truth of the Galaxian Tournament and the fate of the Graude Foundation.

"That may be so, Seiya, but we now have a clear goal." Shiryu faced Ikki even though no eye contact could be made. "Ikki, please explain the entire plan to us."


	9. 3 April, 1998 part 1

**Second Galaxian Tournament: Round 1, Match 1**

"But I can't go out there! Please don't make me go out there!" To the common observer, the sight of a giant on his knees begging was funny. The white giant practically clasped to the boy's waist, who nearly fell from the sudden weight.

The boy lurched ever so slightly toward the room's exit. "You're going out there whether you like it or not! Even if I have to drag your dead weight out there myself!"

"Nooooo! There's people out there!"

"How disgusting! Throwing away the tournament just because you're shy!"

"But but but... so many eyes! I don't want to do this!"

"It's for a damn cloth! How the hell can you be a saint when you're such a big baby!" The kid only made one full step ahead, such was the weight of his bashful associate. "Get up already and walk out there like a man! I have half a mind to take your slot in the tournament!"

"Oh, could you please?"

"Don't give up so easily!" He struck the giant on the top of his head. The boy winced while his friend didn't even notice. "I don't care how strong you are, you're too lazy and cowardly to ever be a saint! Scared of ordinary people! What an embarassment!" Another boy entered the locker room. "Come on, Ark! Help me out here!"

The boy quietly approached with a notepad in hand. He wrote on it, then showed it to the tall, whining youth. This seemed to make headway, as the young giant slowly supported himself and loosed his embrace on the other boy.

"What did you tell him?" The surly one snatched the notepad to read it. "Oh, I see." He looked down at his friend again. "Yeah, do it for Shun, Albion. Shun wants you in this tournament, and he wants you to do your best." He let Ark snatch his notepad back.

"O...K..." Albion let go and remained on his knees for a moment. Once he stood to full height, the ceiling was less than a foot above his head. "Do I have to win?"

"Yes! Stupid! You have to win! This is a tournament for crying out loud!"

"You didn't have to call me stupid." Again Ark wrote on the notepad, and showed it to Albion. "I really have to fight?" Ark nodded, and the giant sighed. He shivered at the thought of thousands of people staring at him.

"Come on! You're late as it is!" The noisy boy pushed Albion towards the door, but could not make the giant budge.

The roar of the crowd was unlike anything Albion experienced. It was quite frightening to the country boy. When he nervously approached the ring, the crowd went silent. As he climbed onto the canvas, the cameras zoomed onto his face. Once this happened, a wave of awe coursed throughout the audience. Men eagerly paid attention to this giant, and women jealously watched. Albion was shuddering when he awkwardly stood on the edge of the ring. The canvas gave a little to his steps, and he feared losing his balance so much that he fell to all fours. He did not notice his opponent laughing.

The announcer cut some of the tension. "Meeting the competitor, Kaga, is Albion! He seems to be having some trouble already, but he's already stole the spotlight tonight! Yes that's right, ladies and gentleman. I have it on good authority that Albion is indeed male!" The candid announcement made Albion cringe with embarassment, and he further cringed when all the men in the audience booed while the women screamed fanatically.

"Heh! I'm fighting a white elephant?" Kaga already looked down at Albion. "And you're crying too! You should just go back home, princess."

"Hey, I have to be in this tournament."

"The judges are ruling that Albion will forfiet the match if he does not stand up!"

"Get up, you idiot! Don't let that mook win because you won't stand on your own two feet!" As loud as Albion's friend was, Ark could only look tense within silence. "Come on, slowpoke! Get up!"

"Uh, right, sorry." Albion finally stood. The close proximity to Albion was enough to startle Kaga. He had not truly grasped how tall his opponent was.

"Just what the hell are you?" Kaga took several steps back to get Albion in scope. The bell rang the start of the match. "Well, no matter, I'm going to enjoy beating the student of Shun."

"I'm here because of my master. He wants me to fight in the tournament, but I don't want to fight."

"Yeah so?"

"But Ark said I should do my best, but I really don't want to fight." He glanced back to his friends, then looked further to the exit. He twitched, as if to go to the exit, but he held still for his promise to Shun.

"I'll just beat you fair in square, then." Kaga prepared to charge, but he was stopped by more of Albion's odd behavior.

"What's this? Albion has called for a time out! What could he possibly be thinking to call a time out when the match just started?"

The referee approached the ring to hear Albion's case. "What is it?"

"Is there a ring-out?"

"Ring-out? Why yes, there is. Contact with the floor outside the ring is ruled as forfeiting the match."

"OK. Thank you, that's what I wanted to know." Albion returned his look at Kaga, but with a better confidence.

The referee signaled time in. "Whatever it was, the match is back in session!"

"Just what the hell are you planning? There's no way I'll let myself be put outside the ring! You've got some nerve!"

"Could you start attacking please?"

"What?" Kaga grit his teeth in anger. "What nerve! You'll pay for that!" Kaga charged Albion with all his might. He was about to deliver his strike when an unfathomable force throttled his neck. The world around him that blurred so much to his speed had now become still. The ropes ahead slowly retreated.

Albion had wrapped his large hand around the boy's neck. No matter what he did, Kaga could not budge the giant's fingers. It wasn't a true choke, as Kaga had no trouble breathing. The grip was enough to suspend his body, as if Albion only intended to move him. "I did this to horses back home. You'll be fine."

Kaga couldn't believe his ears. He struck at the arm, but to no avail. After several blows, his hands became sore. He struck again to make sure what he heard. It was the sound of iron when he struck Albion's lithe forearm. Eyes wide open, Kaga could only see the stadium lights as he felt his body lose sudden altitude. Just like that, Albion had placed Kaga flat upon the floor just outside the ring. The ropes, which were really chains, were gone from that side. Albion snapped them with minimal effort to place Kaga down, as if he ignored the chains entirely. The hand let go, but Kaga remained on his back. The bell rung the end of the match, but he remained still. He lost. There was no battle, no tumult, no sweat, nor blood. He was simply moved to defeat. He was no more an object than a child's toy, placed effortlessly out of whim.

Initial shock gave way to sudden objection that brought the boy to his feet in a split-second. "You bastard! I'll get you for that! Come on and face me! It's not over!" Kaga tried to follow Albion, but a bronze saint held him completely in place. "What's the big idea! He cheated! That wasn't a real fight!"

The saint was Unicorn Jabu. "The fight is over." The cosmo was thick with the saint, and Kaga struggled as Jabu forced him out of the arena proper. Cosmo? Had he not paid attention in the match? No, he did sense cosmo, but it was not a surge like he felt from Jabu. Rather, the cosmo from Albion was completely calm, almost as normal as the air he breathed. There was no burn, no burst, nor explosion from the white giant. In that entire time, Albion had a completely steady and powerful cosmo. The realization of such cosmo silenced the irate boy.

In the opposite entry hall, Albion was congratulated by his two friends. "That was awesome! The way you just overpowered him! Did you even see what you did to the chains? You just moved _through_ them! The time-out, the grab, the ring-out, it was all genius!"

"Thank you, Argama." Despite Albion's response, the boy continued to praise his giant friend as if he said nothing contrary before. Albion swayed a little, and both friends immediately tried to help him stay balanced. "I just need to lie down. All those flashing lights made me nauseous."


	10. 3 April, 1998 part 2

**Konrad the Comrade**

"Oh he's so dreamy!"

"I know! I've got to get a picture with him!" The girls were just two among many that crowded the corrider to the locker room. Guards nervously held back the line of instant fangirls. One could wonder if so many girls had even been present for the first match that just ended. The attendance at the stadium easily doubled because of the televised first match.

"Excuse me, coming through!"

"Get lost, ugly!" Girls shoved the teenager back.

"Ugly?" Konrad never heard that before.

"We want Albion, not some foreigner!"

"But Albion is a foreigner..."

"Just let it go, comrade." His friend led him away from the rabid crowd.

"But she called me ugly... I'm not ugly, am I?"

"That's not my judgement to make. You never cared about your looks before. Why now?"

"Because I'm finally around girls after I start noticing them?"

The other youth sighed. "I need to get to the ring for my fight, but we did not expect this crowd to be in our way."

"Seiken, Konrad! What are you doing over here?" A boy in an oversized shirt approached. The sleeves were extremely long.

"Oh, Van, we were on our way to the ring."

"What's the hold up?"

"Are you blind? These girls just happen to be solid. And girls. Did I mention girls?"

Van scowled at Konrad. "Come on." He stormed to the crowd and began to shove aside girls. The other two began to follow when the girls started to notice Van. Their inane banter slowly converted to admiration for the surly boy among them.

"Aw, how cute!" was just one of the many adorations the girls made. They became smitten with the blonde.

They had reached the guards before the attention escalated. "Uh sure, go on through." was the guard's uneasy response when the three boys indicated their entry passes.

"That was a close one." Konrad longingly looked back at the crowd.

"What reason could they possibly have to crowd here?"

"They're here for Albion."

"Who?"

"Albion, the first competitor to win his match. You didn't watch the match like I told you!"

"What kind of a name is Albion? Sounds like a fish. I hate fish."

"Don't be so hasty to say that, man." Konrad broke cold sweat. "After all the hard work I went through to feed you guys the fish I caught and cooked, you didn't have to go there."

"What about your cooking? I hate it. I just feed it to the bears, and even they got sick of it."

"How could you--"

"Quiet!" Seiken shoved the two aside. "I have to go ahead to my match. Don't you dare start a fight here while I'm gone." He went further down the corridor. The remaining two looked at each other, then decided to enter the locker room.

"Holy shit! What the fuck is wrong with you!" Van's outburst startled everyone inside.

"Whoa, easy, Van."

The giant whom was too big for the cot looked weakly at the potty mouth. "What?"

"What's wrong with you? You look like you've seen a ghost! You look like a ghost!"

Konrad tried in vain to mitigate his friend's harsh nature. "Van! Van! Please! Manners!"

Albion looked at Van rather funny, then sneezed straight ahead. Van received all of it. Everyone watched it in slow motion. Van stood there with no idea on what to do. The look of horror in his face was a sign that things were not going to end well.

"Uh Van, breath! Inhale! Exhale! Inhale! Exhale!"

"Gross!" Argama's word broke in his laughter.

Van continued to look at his wet shirt, then back at Albion. His face sobered from anxiety, and he calmly walked to the shower. Konrad couldn't believe what he was seeing. _He's mad, isn't he? Has he gotten so mad that his anger rolled over?_

Van had no shame in undressing in front of the others. When it was time to take off the shirt, he hesitated, then carefully pulled the sleeves away from his shoulders. This was not just an oversized shirt, it was a canvas straightjacket. Everyone watched in awe when Van's arms were revealed. Not only were they pitch black, they shined and sparkled. The skin looked like living obsidian. The abnormally pointed fingers grasped the faucet, and the boy began his sudden shower. Albion, Konrad, Argama, and Ark could not help but study those bizarre arms. After spending a few minutes under the water, he shut the faucet off. Van awkwardly leaned and fell against the wall, and sat against it.

Konrad glanced at the other three. "Uh, could you let me have a moment alone with him?" Argama hastily left along with Ark. Albion seemed bothered to get up and leave. Konrad continued to face Van. "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not alright." Although surly as ever, Van didn't raise his voice.

"I don't think he meant to do that. It was an accident."

"No, I'm over that."

"You are? Then what's wrong?"

Van stared for a while. "I don't know." He leaned his head back, and closed his eyes.

"Van, I've never known you to act like this."

"Gee you think?" He twitched as if to aggress, but kept himself in position.

"Do you, uh, mind if I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Your arms..."

"What you see is what you get." His hand gestured, the fingers fluctuated in their dimensions. "You're not going to make fun of me?"

"Why would I do a stupid thing like that? I just thought maybe you were hurt. You always hide your arms, so I figured they were damaged."

"It's OK if they want to come back inside... just don't talk to me."

Konrad waited for his training partner to do anything more, but after a minute of silence, he went to the hallway to check with the others. "We need a towel." He commanded the guard who obliged. Albion looked distressed from all the attention the girls were giving him. He practically used Argama and Ark to shield himself from their eyes. "You can go back inside. He's not going to do anything."

"I think it's better we watch the match. It should have started by now." He tried to leave, but his friends remained. "You're not coming?" Ark wrote his response. "So you're taking your chances with crabby in there. Fine." He left.

"Why are you guys staying? I thought Van scared you off so much."

"I just want to nap."

Ark jotted his reasoning. Konrad awkwardly looked at the notepad. "Uh, sorry, I can't read russian." Ark patiently rewrote in greek. "Oh I see. Is someone supposed to deliver your instrument?" The pen responded. "I could get it for you. It's a guitar, right? I'll get it."

**Sword and Snake**

Argama caught sight of the intense clash between the two fighters. He could've sworn he saw the image of a snake fighting with the image of a dragon. Each took the stance of his primary attack. There was no doubt these two were strong.

"Meteor Fist... a formidable offense. My master warned me about the technique."

"Oh?"

"Even though your punches are subsonic, there is one or two that I may not be able to detect. Just one hit is enough to put me down."

"Your Rising Dragon isn't perfect either."

"What makes you say that?"

"Let's just say you leave an opening when your right hand drops."

"That is pretty foolish of you, telling your opponent your strategy like that."

"It would be unfair if I exploited such an obvious weakness. Come on, we should make the decisive attack now!"

Argama saw the cosmo intensify around the two. The snake-like one was Agryos, the student of Seiya. His posture seemed different than his opponent's. Agryos performed the motion of a constellation. When completed, the cosmo resonated from his movement as that of Ophiucus. The other fighter, Seiken, took a more defensive stance. Their cosmo built before they finally unleashed their attacks. Argama almost missed the critical moment they clashed, such was their sonic speed.

They stood apart from each other in opposite positions from before. Seiken suddenly crumpled. He grasped at his chest. "Impossible! There is no way you could have have broken my defense after telling me the flaw!"

"Idiot! You had no flaw!"

"What?"

"I made it up! You wasted energy on useless caution, you gave yourself a weakness!"

Seiken forced himself to stand. "Just try that again! The vulnerability will not repeat!"

"You're in no condition to continue the fight, let alone withstand another Meteor Fist. The wound has slowed you down that every punch will land now."

"I have no intention of losing." He shuddered and overcame most of the trauma. Clearly his cosmo burned enough that he could shrug off such damage so quickly.

"Then it's settled. The next move decides the winner. It would take a miracle for you to subdue me when you are at a disadvantage." Agryos made his stance of the Ophiucus constellation.

Seiken shuddered again, aware that with each Meteor Fist his opponent makes, more and more of the punches break the speed of sound. He took his stance. Argama could see the disadvantage. Seiken had no distinct constellation whereas Agryos beckoned Ophiucus. It seemed peculiar, because drawing on a constellation meant the saint would bear that constellation's cloth. Agryos was not competing for the Ophiucus cloth, but the gold cloth that was on display in a clearing among the bleachers. In terms of sheer power, Agryos had the upper hand.

Both fighters held still. Sweat on Seiken's brow caused his eye to flinch, and this provoked him to make the first attack. Agryos saw Rising Dragon, but decided to overpower it with his Meteor Fist. His hunch was correct, as the opposing attack floundered and left Seiken open to the remainder of his attack. However, Seiken continued to feint. The image of the dragon keeled to the side, but its claw remained steadfast against Agryos. Before he knew it, he fell back from harm and fear. He barely had a moment to think when a clear cut opened across his stomach, chest, and shoulder. At first the blood seeped, but then it oozed and behaved more like a waterfall.

"Shit!" Seiken ran to the fallen Agryos. He desperately tried to keep the wound closed. "This is not what I wanted!"

The jumbotron declared Seiken the victor, but neither he nor the audience cared when they worried about the fate of Agryos. A team of medics hurried onto the scene. The outlook was bleak, since the cut had penetrated too many vessels. No one seemed to notice the red-haired civilian enter the ring.

"Hey! You can't just barge in here, We're trying our best to save his life!"

The man ignored the objection, and he rudely pushed other medics aside to kneel over Agryos. His finger touched the lower corner of the cut, and he traced it all the way up to the top corner. The blood not only stopped, but the gash looked closed. At this point the medics stared in awe while the man simply held his hand over the center of the cut. His hand emitted a gentle glow for a few minutes.

He withdrew, then spoke. "His condition is stable, but it's your job to take over from here." The doctor had no time to think about the strange dots on the man's forehead. The announcer declared the good outlook for Agryos when they carried him off on a stretcher. The man approached Seiken, who had powerlessly cried the whole time. "Just get out of the ring first. We'll talk about this later." Seiken wiped his eyes, then agreed.

They were about halfway when the man suddenly jerked Seiken by the ear. Seiken painfully followed his lead to the corridor. They were in the locker room when he finally let go. The man sternly looked down at the teenager. "What the hell is the matter with you? Shiryu forbade that attack!" There was silence. "You have any idea how lucky you are that I'm here? Thank Athena I wasn't so careless as to buy a magazine on the way here!"

"I was desperate."

"That's no excuse! Did it even cross your mind what that kind of stunt can do? What if you exploded your cosmo any higher? Huh? It wouldn't have stopped with Agryos! You put the entire audience at risk with an attack like that! It was for that reason Shiryu suddenly forbade that technique! If it was Sanctuary or any other place away from innocent people, that's one thing, but to do so with tens of thousand of people around? If I was Shiryu, I would have buried you right now!" He stared down at the boy who could only hang his head in shame. The man took a deep breath. "Look, I know you're proud of that technique, but this is not the time or place to brandish it. Agryos did not deserve that either." He breathed heavily again to prevent himself from continuing a tirade. "Just leave. I might have someone else to yell at." He pointed to the door, and Seiken meekly obeyed.

In the back of the locker room was someone even more familiar with this man. "Kiki?"

"I saw your performance." He approached the boy.

"I lost, Kiki."

"You need to change your attitude." Their eyes met. "You usually don't act like that. Have I been teaching a bully?"

"No, Kiki."

"What's your problem with Albion?" No answer. "Don't want to talk about it?"

"No."

Unable to force the issue, Kiki changed the subject. "What's with the name change? I leave you alone for a month and you pick some random new name?"

"Kaga is my real name."

"Then what about Hadrian?"

"It was a fake name when I was in Sanctuary. I just never went back to Kaga until now."

"Why would you need a fake name in Sanctuary?" Silence again. "It's been a year, but I wish you opened up more." Why did he always feel so sad when he looked at Kaga? It was obvious something always bothered Kaga, but Kiki could never figure it out. He couldn't bring himself to read the boy's mind, nor could he intimidate the boy to divulge the very personal information. It felt like a widening chasm between master and student, and Kiki envied the other gold saints and their students.


	11. 3 April, 1998 part 3

Although the bell rang, the fight did not commence right away. "Why are you smiling?" The youth with an extravagant mohawk was disturbed by his opponent's sunny disposition. "A bit overconfident, aren't we?"

The boy's smile was just too serene. When the jumbotron displayed his face, girls everywhere swooned. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to smile."

"Well, stop smiling."

"I'm sorry, I can't." He tried digging his foot into the canvas to rub the vast blood marks away, but it was already stained beyond any salvage.

"Why not?"

"I've always smiled. Master said that I have some sort of disorder. Smiling is all I can express."

It was hard to imagine what this kid went through with such a peculiar problem. "That seems... sad."

"I'm sorry, I didn't get your name. I just arrived at the tournament and I was immediately directed to the ring."

"Faust."

"And your master?"

"My master is dead. I entered this tournament to prove myself worthy of the Hydra cloth my master wore."

"I'm sorry about your loss."

"And your name and master?"

"Anatoliy, student of Leo Ikki."

"What? That means you're from Death Queen Island!" Faust, like any trainee, knew the rumors of that abominable place. _That place is such a Hell, it still exists even after it was destroyed! It is a place of the dead in the world of the living! How could such a cheerful boy survive such a nightmare? I cannot take him likely! I cannot risk him gaining any advantage over me!_ Faust carefully maneuvered his stance. He was prepared for any movement Anatoliy could make. Sudden darkness caused him to twitch, but he sensed no movement from the boy. _What attack is going on?_ Screams from the audience broke his concentration. It was indeed a power outage and not an outrageous technique. A strange light suspended over the gold cloth.

Both Faust and Anatoliy watched the bizarre circumstance around the gold cloth. A shadow appeared above the box. The stadium lights returned, and everyone could see the man in black armor. Faust tried to move, but the cosmo behind him was too ominous. He found an identical man in black armor. A third such man appeared next to Anatoliy. When it became clear to the strangers that Faust had the intent to resist, two more identical strangers appeared before him.

"Go ahead and make our day!"

"One false move and you're finished."

"What's the meaning of this?" The student of the late Hydra frantically sized up the intruders. "Those are cloths?"

"What is going on? You have no business here." Not only was his smile ever so peaceful, his voice remained soft-spoken.

One of the strange saints in the ring spoke for his team. "We are here for the cloth. That should be obvious!"

"That could not have been your orders."

"Your failure was anticipated, Anatoliy. That is why we are taking over."

The mannerism between the two troubled Faust. _They act like they know each other. Could it be? No, That's even more of a myth than Death Queen Island!_ He glanced over the black cloths, all them in the image of a single cloth. _The black saints! The black saints exist, and are here to steal the gold cloth! Just as a saint stands for justice, a black saint stands for lawlessness!_

"I have not even enacted my role. You should have at least let me get that far."

"Orders were to not take any chances."

"Well may I at least join you, since the final goal is at hand?" The question prompted two saints to look at each other and nod.

"Very well." The other black saint relaxed his caution next to Anatoliy.

"Brother!" Argama rushed into the arena. "After all these years! You're alive!" He ascertained the threat of the black saints. "Brother! Are you alright? They haven't hurt you, have they?"

"Who is this twerp?"

Anatoliy looked down at the younger boy. "Pay him no attention."

"Ana..." Argama never forgot his brother's smile, but he could not enjoy seeing his brother again because of these black saints. Argama flinched when the black saints rapidly leapt to the gold cloth. Among them was Anatoliy, still smiling the same way. "What are you doing with my brother?"

"Argama, we're taking the gold cloth. Stay where you are, and you won't get hurt." Despite the threatening words, Anatoliy's tone remained gentle, but loud enough to project the distance.

"Big brother?"

Anatoliy raised a fist, and looked ready to face it against Argama, but he instead punched towards Faust. The long-range burst of cosmo missed, but the power within it was evident. _Such a mechanical attack... I could not sense any emotion in it! Here he stands among the devils of saints! That smile hides a deadly assassin!_

The other competitors present at the arena rushed out in the hope to challenge this takeover. Albion, Ark, Kaga, Van, and Konrad circled the ring. The remaining two black saints in the ring reunited with their counterparts. The box opened at Anatoliy's will. The gold cloth hovered, then was dismantled by the black saints. They left through the utility exits in the roof, Anatoliy being the last one. He paused to look back at Argama, but resumed his departure with the gold helmet.

The fighters ignored the announcement while they disputed on the current situation. "I'm going after them. There's no way my brother would be so willing to side with such assholes!"

"Don't be so hasty! Black saints are never to be taken lightly. They are murderers and terrorists!"

"He's right. Going alone against them is suicide." Konrad knew as much about the black saints as Faust did.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go after them!"

"Not so fast, Argama. Isn't this tournament important as well?" Even when everyone kept Albion in sight, they did not expect him to say anything, let alone have such peculiar voice.

"Fuck the tournament! My brother is out there! Of course you wouldn't understand!" A notepad message interrupted his fit. "What?" He waited for the follow-up note. "That's not true, is it?" Ark noted while he showed it to Konrad.

"It seems plausible. You figured this out on your own?" Ark nodded.

"Ark knows alot of things. He reads alot, so maybe that's why he knows that." The new note confirmed Argama's argument.

"That means not all of us have to go."

Van finally spoke up. "There's a loser's bracket, Konrad. The losers so far would still be giving up their chance to win."

"And only Kaga is still able to fight."

"There's no way I'm giving up my second chance!"

"Well I'll go for you."

"No, Konrad. You care more about this tournament than I do. Seiken is still at the hospital. That leaves me to go."

"I guess if that's what you want."

Argama was surprised at Van's offer. "Hey that's great! So who else is coming?" Ark's written response was a bit disappointing. "Gee, I didn't know you cared for me so much. Fine, since I'm going I'll leave you both to win the tournament. If you don't win, you can forget about my cooking dinner for a long time!" Another message rose his hopes. "Oh, I totally forgot about them. Where are they?"

"Where is who?"

"The other competitors. Ark says they're pretty strong. Let's go get them."

"They might not be as willing to go as I am."

"Well then I might have to start convincing people to help!" He punched his hand to mean business. "Come on Van!" Argama left without another word. Van dashed a moment before glancing back at Albion. He hesitantly ran after his sudden ally.


	12. 4 April, 1998 gray side 1

**Confrontation at Death Queen Island**

Five black saints faced their challengers. The fifth of them that stood behind the other four was Anatoliy. Each black cloth was a different design, and could not be identified by the trainees. The gold cloth was not among them. The trainees concluded that the black saints took it elsewhere. One of them taunted, "You don't even have cloths and wish to defeat us black saints? I wasn't aware saints trained fools."

"You shut-up! I came all this way to get my brother back. I'm not letting anyone, especially you, get in my way!"

Anatoliy seemed to be the leader of the other four. "Argama, I told you to stay away. I did not want you involved in this. Please leave while I can guarantee your safety."

"No! I don't like that you're a black saint! I heard about the terrible things black saints do. The brother I know would never commit such evil!"

"Sorry, Argama, but the world is more complicated than you think."

The fiery student of Virgo Shun took a step forward. "Even if I have to tear the black cloth off your body, I will get my real brother back! I refuse to believe that my kind and gentle big brother no longer stands alive!"

Naturally the smile on the black saint remained unchanged. He gave a sigh almost as if it was to be a chuckle. "Please step away, Argama. I am sorry that you have become involved in this." He raised his hand which slowly made a fist.

"Now you're going to get it. No one can withstand his Black Phoenix Illusion Demon Fist!"

When Anatoliy began to punch, he instead leapt behind a great distance. His outstretched fist opened its fingers to point ahead. A line of light traveled from each finger to the head of each black saint. They instantly fell as good as dead. Their killer, the surviving black saint, gently approached.

"Ana?"

Van was perplexed by the sudden betrayal among enemies. "What's going on? Aren't you their leader?"

"No, sorry, I used to be their captain. The real leader of the black saints has changed, and I hope to find out who."

Atka was one of the two other trainees that joined Argama. "Then why lead us here?"

"I need you four to help me."

"What? Help you? We would never help a black-" Van was cut off by Argama.

"What have you planned? Are you really a black saint?"

"Excuse me, but I am as much a black saint as you four will be in a moment." He gestured to the now dead minions. "Take their cloths. We are going to infiltrate this Death Queen Island."

"Ana, does this mean you're still the same brother I've always had?"

"We can't just suddenly trust him!"

The last ally, Nemo, finally spoke. "Van, if he wanted to harm us, he would have done so already. He is strong enough to kill four black saints at the same time."

"Huh, I guess you're right."

Each trainee only touched a cloth for it to wear upon him. It felt strange that trainees, who had yet to earn even a bronze cloth, were able to don the deplorable black cloths. Atka wondered if maybe this was wrong and would prevent them from earning real cloths. Once under the guise of black saints, the five climbed the sloping cliffside above the beach. When they reached the plateau, they observed the true nightmare of the island. No matter what destruction befell it, Death Queen Island always erupted back above the sea because of its volcano. It never turned dormant, but slowly spewed its lava throughout the island. The air was choking, even poisonous. Anatoliy lightly threatened death whenever a trainee let himself be bothered by the foul air. Sometimes the very rock they walked sizzled and melted the soles of thier cloth boots. It would prompt them to hurry to avoid getting stuck in a slow death. Burning ashes rained upon them, sometimes catching their hair on fire. In this whole trek, the multitude of black saints along the way ignored the stealthy intruders. Occassionally they would look Anatoliy over, but they gave no further thought since he was among their stronger members. They eventually reached a cave blocked by fire. Anatoliy, beaming as ever, callously threw his allies past the fire rather than let them hesitate on crossing. It was a short distance when they arrived at division of 5 corridors. It was too vague to sense on the beach, but the tremendous cosmo was definitely inside the caverns.

"Sorry, but this is a new cavern the leader has hidden in. Since it is unfamiliar to me, we will have to split up to explore each path. One of them will lead to whomever is controlling the black saints. With him should be the gold cloth."

Atka still felt uneasy. "Why are you helping us this far? You don't really want to help us, do you?"

"I wish to lead the black saints. To do so, I must kill the new leader. I am using you for that purpose, then I will dispose of you. That is the unfortunate truth for you."

"What nerve! Argama, I might just have to put down your brother this soon!"

"No, Van!" The younger boy restrained Van as best he could. He was careful to avoid the lively ripple beneath the arm bandages. "I still have hope! I'll deal with whatever happens!"

"Tch, fine. I might get you too if shit hits the fan."

"I am sorry if you still cling to the idea that you will leave this island alive. Each one of you take a path now, or I will hurl into one myself." The threat made Argama reluctant, since his brother's smile was still cheerful as ever. Nemo spared no expense in taking the far left path. Atka nervously took the adjacent one. Van, perhaps to be different, took the far right path. "Please take your path." The persuasion was slow, but Argama eventually took the central corridor. With his expendable allies sent ahead, Anatoliy took the remaining path.

**Black Chain**

_How troublesome. Maybe I shouldn't have volunteered to go on this adventure. I thought it would be more interesting than some stupid tournament._ Van skidded down the slope to advance quickly. The path continued to drop at this rate for several minutes. Finally the way opened up to a large interior. _I found the end of the dungeon this quickly? Maybe there's a damsel in distress._ He scanned the dark edges of this chamber. Light had come from a lava river to his left. He spotted movement ahead. _A damsel in distress?_ The approaching figure wore something reflective. It was the luster of a black cloth. _Since when are black saints so pretty?_ At a close enough distance, he could make out the unique details of the black cloth.

"You came for the gold cloth?" The black saint spoke much too gently, perhaps moreso than anatoliy.

"So what if I do? You will stop me?"

"Yes, since I am not supposed to allow anyone past me."

"Well I think we're going to have a dispute then." Van's arm rose, but he immediately hesitated. _That golden cosmo is unlike anything I've seen! I had no idea a black saint could get so powerful!_ He could make no further action because blakc chains suddenly sped at him. They wrapped around him and squeezed.

"Please do not struggle. Just give up."

"Yeah... right!" Van's arms coiled and tore from their bandages. The gauntlets shattered from their shapeshifting arms. This alarmed the saint enough that he loosened the chain from surprise. Van stood free with his arms, perhaps now tentacles, eerily flailing about.

"What? What are you?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out!" Van's left arm rose and sharpened like a spear as it stretched toward the saint. Chains emerged upon the black extension, but the dark material sprouted another part to act as the second half of shears. The chains were cut by the scissors which then reverted back to the idle tentacle form.

The mild-mannered saint could only stare at awe at his freakish opponent. _His arms aren't human? They shapeshift, but they aren't like any metal or clay!_ Cosmo burned within the saint, enough to keep Van cautious. _There is cosmo in those arms? I can see he is burning cosmo, but it goes straight into those arms of his!_ "Maybe those things give you an advantage, but that means I have to do better to prevent you from advancing." Cosmo welled up in the saint, and it was obvious to Van that this was his hardest challenge yet. _I hoped I wouldn't go this far, but I have to do my best to keep you here! Nebula Chain!_

Van panicked when a multitude of chains raced upon him. He couldn't avoid several, and they grazed and pierced him. The force hurled him back to the entrance of the chamber. The attack ended, but Van was left on his knees in pain. Were those chains illusions? No, the wounds on his body were genuine. _I can't just scare him like I normally do! I actually have to fight!_ Van forced himself to stand. Cosmo burned within him, and it numbed the pain from that attack.

_That cosmo! I know what he's doing!_ The saint braced himself as he surged his own cosmo.

Van could see the stark difference in power already. The cosmo over that black saint was enormous, filling a good portion of the room in its display. Angered that he was up against a wall, Van pushed his cosmo to his limits. _I hate being overshadowed!_ When he could not explode his cosmo anymore, he made his charge. The saint observed the image of the dragon over the boy, and he likewise saw the attack for what it was. _Rozan Sho Ryu Ha!_ The voice of his master, Shiryu, echoed in Van's mind. His metallic fist surpassed sound when it headed for the black saint. The attack was truly powerful, as it disturbed and broke the rock around them. _What?_ The result was far from expected. Van's fist had been caught in the saint's hand. He could not react before he was thrown back. _That was the great technique of Shiryu! It's supposed to work on anything!_

The saint made a step forward, but winced. He looked at his hand to find it bloody. _Rozan Sho Ryu Ha was not strong enough to hurt me. How was he able to do this?_ He clenched a fist, but winced again in pain. _What kind of wound is this?_ He studied it more closely. The cloth and skin on his palm had been completely scrapped. Something foreign remained on his hand, and it held a hint of cosmo. Light struck the palm at the appropriate angle to make it glisten. _Powder? Like metal dust? Is it from his hand?_

Van had been taxed by his technique, and could not recover as soon as he wished. His hand overworked and crushed a rock instead of pushing him to his feet. The sleek metal buckled for a moment when he finally managed to crouch. _This isn't good... I'm already too tired. Who knows what will happen if I lose._

"Please retreat. Otherwise the battle will prolong and only hurt you further."

"No way. Just try and make me retreat!"

"I am sorry to do this, then. I have no choice." Again the saint summoned chains against Van. His arms distorted and warped in order to parry all the chains. _I am sorry to do this... Nebula Chain!_

Van sensed the impending danger. _I can see it a little better this time! I must block it!_ He tried to parry it, but the chains were still too fast. The boy crashed to the ground with numerous new injuries. He tried to get up, but his head crashed into the rock. His arms had failed to carry his weight. _Shit, I can't keep this up! These arms won't stay in shape anymore!_ He saw the glossy metal drip, as if it was more like ink rather than a solid.

_Now I understand. Those arms may be artificial, but they draw on his cosmo. He can't burn his cosmo in battle for too long._ He only took a step when a sudden wetness touched the corner of his mouth. _A cut? When did he manage to do that?_ He replayed the scene in his mind, seeing detail at high speed that he initially missed. _Did his arm really stretch that far so quickly?_

Van noticed his opponent's contemplation. He saw the cut on the saint's face. _When did I reach him? Was is it when I parried his chains?_ Van jumped to his feet, aware his arms dribbled and leaked their mysterious material. _Just one of the swings of my arms managed to hit him... and it was already loose. It must have overstetched and..._ Van's eyes widened on the realization. He pictured the exact process. He let the arm soften so much that it continued to reach such a distant opponent. The sound repeated in his mind. He recalled the image of a villager driving his cattle with that useful tool. It was the crack of the whip. It was the sound made when the end of the whip surpassed the speed of sound. Inadvertently, Van had discovered a means to strike a speed much greater than his own body was capable of. _That's it! I can hit him with something that fast!_ He stared ahead at the saint who also realized the potential. _This would be my last attack! I have to beat him in one blow. If I survive... _Van did not want to think about what lay beyond the battle. He could not find it interesting. Only his battle with this powerful black saint mattered. _Now is the time!_ Cosmo burned within the boy. It surged as high as when he performed his master's technique.

The saint raised his cosmo to meet the challenger. Again, it was a tremendous cosmo that he barely used against the boy. _It looks like there is no other way. He intends to die along with me!_ The saint lashed out his chains. Van's arm thickened and coiled as it burst with his remaining cosmo. The black arm rapidly swung towards the saint, but its tip had lagged behind as the limb stretched with the motion. Finally the arm stopped stretching, and the slack it had in reserve began to travel in the same direction. This narrow tongue of blackness accelerated to the point where the saint could not see its movement. It all happened in a fraction of a second. The black chains subdued the unconscious Van, his long arm already limp. The chains held him up. _You really gave it your all!_ The acknowledgement was just made when the black cloth cleaved open. The left pauldron and left torso plate fell off from the slice. Blood seeped from the would. The saint winced, but bore the injury. He refused to let go of the fallen Van. _This is the least I can do._ His cosmo burned again, but unlike before, the energy was postive and traveled through the chain to Van. The golden glow passed over the boy, and his arms gained firmness. The chains let go as the saint approached the boy. "You should be fine for now, Van." His hair brightened from black to brown.


	13. 4 April, 1998 gray side 2

"It was about time you would show up." The voiced called from elsewhere in the darkness.

Nemo could not even see his own hand, it was total abyss in this cavern. With each step forward, a noise gradually built up ahead. Sudden bursts of light came against the youth. Nemo managed to parry the attack, as they were subsonic. He parried each hit, but the rush of cosmic assault never eased.

"Do you plan on parrying all day? Retreating to your left and right is the same as losing." This taunt made Nemo anxious. The trainee forced himself through the storm of attacks. They suddenly stopped, and in their place came a mighty punch. Nemo dropped to the floor in pain. "All you did was escape the frying pan into the fire."

At this moment the chamber illuminated. The path Nemo had walked was only a narrow bridge far above a river of lava. The youth looked up to see a man clad in full armor. Weapons littered the entirety of this black cloth. Most notable were the shields on each forearm. His eyes remained closed, and his beard was very trim. Whoever he was, Nemo felt this man to be more like a teacher than a thug the other black saints were. He was about to speak when Nemo practically flipped to kick him in the face. Once on his feet, Nemo concentrated his favorite attack. Pegasus Comet Fist. There was indeed a tremendous cosmo, the level worthy of sainthood, behind that fist. The black saint saw the punch in slow motion, and simply rose his arm to defend.

Nemo gasped in agony. The fist almost broke against the shield, but still bled. "You hesitated. Did you sense the danger of striking this shield?" He watched the tall challenger step back to recover. Indeed, Nemo stood much taller than this black saint. This trainee was still only 14 years old.

Nemo took a deep breath, then resumed battle stance. The knuckles still bled, but the burning cosmo inside him must have numbed the pain already. The gold cosmo around the black saint was something Nemo never expected to see, but he nonetheless continued to challenge this mysterious opponent. Nemo drew the constellation of Pegasus, and felt the boon from his guardian constellation. The black saint also recognized this technique as Pegasus Meteor Fist, and accordingly raised his shield in defense. Nemo began the assault, and all of the punches bounced off of the shield that parried every hit. Nemo would not let up, but saw that the black saint actually closed the distance between them. Time slowed down for Nemo to see that this man was about to use his other shield offensively. Seeing the impending danger, Nemo changed his attack accordingly. There was a strange noise, but the black saint ignored it.

Nemo's feet skidded to the very edge of the cliff. It seemed as if the black saint managed to land his attack. "You should have continued to move forward. Facing me instead of reaching your goal is your downfall." Something cracked, and he wondered what it was. He lowered his shield to see Nemo's forehead bloodied from impact. The sight irked the black saint enough to step back. _That's not your blood._ He looked at his arm to find blood seeping from the cracks along the forearm. The black shield and vambrace finally shattered. _What caused this? His meteor and comet punch was not enough to break this cloth._ He suddenly jerked from pain. _My ear?_

The black saint recalled the critical moment. When he shoved his right shield against the youth, Nemo had already changed his attack into a Comet Fist. He let the punch land anyway, since the shield would have definitely hit Nemo's face. He saw the entire process clearly. Nemo was simply too slow. This exactly was the problem. The first Comet Fist was much faster, and caused little damage. How could a slower Comet Fist result in greater harm? He reimagined the movement at a much slower rate, seeing all the nuances in such a rapid sequence of events. Then it became clear to him. The Comet Fist was slower because Nemo had reciprocated the punch. What seemed like a single Comet Punch was really a Meteor Fist locked into the same path that advanced and retreated for each punch. Each punch caused a resonation with the matter it struck. The end result was a very compressed sonic boom that caused damage beyond the shield. The sudden, drastic changes in pressure caused his cloth and arm to expand and contract, as if they exploded. That was how his blood went through the shield to smear on Nemo's head. His right ear caught the end of that attack, and likewise he suffered imbalance.

He watched the fallen Nemo crawl towards the exit. "You may not talk much, but you speak as a genius with your fists." He stepped on Nemo's back to pin him. "Hold on. There is still something that must be done."


	14. 3 April, 1998 part 4

After half an hour of idle waiting, the announcer finally explained the situation. "We apologize for the delay, ladies and gentlemen. The itinerary for the matches this evening has underwent unforeseen changes. Unfortunately, two matches have declared winners by default, since a competitor from each has left the tournament. The match that was interrupted has been given to Faust. The following match between Niou and Atka has been given to Niou. We are able to present the next match between Griffith and Jun." Both were already waiting by the ring. Unlike in previous matches, these two had entered together. "Both competitors hail from the frigid Siberia. As a matter of fact, both have trained together and even share the same techniques!"

Griffith beamed with excitement as he watched Jun pass the chains. "I've been looking forward to this for a long time. We finally get to go all out against each other!"

"This is the perfect opportunity." Jun did not seem as anxious. Since he was always aloof, Griffith couldn't tell what was wrong with his friend. "However, I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"Griffith, I will not fight you. I'm forfeiting the match." Jun turned and made his exit past the chains. He ignored Griffith's pleas to stay.

"What's this? There appears to be something wrong with Jun." An aide to the announcer received word from the referee about the forfeit, then told the announcer. "It is confirmed, ladies and gentlemen, that Jun has forfeited the match!" A boo resonated in the stadium. Sudden cheers sounded when Albion and Ark entered the deck.

Griffith finally heeded the referee's multiple calls to leave the ring. "Why would he do that?"

"Jun must have his reasons." Konrad waited alongside Seiken.

"It better be a good reason." Griffith ran to the locker room where Jun went.

"This has been a weird day."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just get up there. Ark is already waiting." Seiken's eyes darted from Ark to Albion on the other side. Seiken had seen the second round bracket, and knew Albion was his next opponent. The announcer already made the introduction for Ark, and likewise did so for Konrad when he climbed the ring.

Once he faced Ark, Konrad was surprised by the guitar. "You do know this isn't a concert, right?" There was no response because Ark was unequipped to reply. Konrad realized it was pointless to talk.

"It may seem strange for a competitor to enter his match with a musical instrument, but I have been told from our sponsor that Ark can indeed fight with his guitar even though it is electric and unplugged."

Needless to say, Konrad was curious as to what Ark would do. He didn't have to wait long when he saw cosmo build up in the youth. When the cosmo peaked to that of a saint, Ark began to play the strings. Everyone in the stadium was surprised to hear his music. Indeed it resonated from the sound system, but those in-the-know were aware Ark's Flying V had no such remote capabilities. The audience assumed it did, and enjoyed the song regardless. The song grew intricate with time, and flourished to a mastery comparable to the greatest guitarists in the world.

Konrad felt moved, but reminded himself that he needed to actually fight Ark to win his match. He approached, unsure if it was nice to hit someone so busy with his instrument. His doubt was silenced, however, when a sharp pain seared over his shoulder. It felt like a knife sliced him, but he found no such wound. Several more such pangs disturbed his body, and he retreated. The invisible attack ceased with his distance, and he concluded that Ark was the cause. Of course it was Ark, his cosmo consistently burned as he played. He was fighting with music! Konrad watched the strumming, but he suddenly found himself struck again.

_Keep wondering what my song does. By the time you figure out my technique, you will have gone out of bounds to avoid harm._ Ark intensified his melody to an angrier, frantic song. With the harsher strumming came a wave of invisible attacks upon Konrad. He took the pain when coerced against the chains.

_I can't just let him score so many hits on me without fighting back! I must charge and knock that guitar out of his hands!_ Konrad rushed into a storm of the musical assault. He confidently got close to Ark when a new pain arose. A sharp chord caused actual harm. He felt the blood trickle from his forearm. He only paused to deal with it when a score of such hits landed on him. Covered in cuts, he staggered backwards. At this point the audience finally realized the fight was not a joke. Konrad jerked and bent backwards. _A punch? He can attack bluntly?_ He weathered a multitude of invisible punches, unable to block them since they passed through his hands. _How terrible! He can attack at all ranges! At this rate he'll wear me down to defeat! I need to overwhelm his offense and defense with sheer force!_ Konrad finally burned his cosmo as best as he could. He needed to explode it, however, and continued to focus despite the incoming assault. The blows and cuts gradually lost their impact. Ark slipped a chord when he saw the image of a tiger upon Konrad. Suddenly fearless, Konrad charged upon Ark through the waves of harmful music.

_Shit! I need Polyphone Wall!_ Ark frantically altered his chords. The music intensified before him, to the point where the sound was almost exclusively contained within the zone. When Konrad made contact with it, he suffered even greater harm, and had been repelled. Despite his halt in aggression, Konrad delivered a different sort of techique. Rozan Ryuhisho acted like a lance that continued to penetrate the barrier even when Konrad himself fall back. The attack landed and knocked Ark on his back. With no music, Konrad was free from the world of pain. He did not relent, however. Even though he connected an attack, Rozan Ryuhisho was not his primary offense. He really attempted Rozan Shoryuha, and Ark was helpless against Konrad's attrition. Both Ark and his guitar were airborne. True to the fable of Rozan, the technique brought both higher than the jumbotron, even close to the roof. Although in much pain, Ark was not incapacitated and had plenty of fight left in him. He could handle the fall without great injury. Unfortunately, the same could not be said of his instrument. Although it did not endure Konrad's technique, it was too high to survive the fall to the floor outside the ring. _Shit! I'm as good as defeated without that guitar!_ Ark was faced with a critical choice, and thought about the immediate future without that instrument.

Shun had warned him about dependance on an object. Although Shun grew up using chains, the Andromeda cloth provided an infinite tool in the meantime he honed his cosmo beyond the need for a tangible chain. Ark was not in the same situation. His use of cosmo depended on an instrument unable to survive severe battles, as it was both initially fragile and not attached to a cloth. Although he could burn his cosmo without the guitar, he had no technique without it. With only brute force and unfocused cosmo, he was as good as useless against someone like Konrad, a specialist of the straightforward use of cosmo. The music was such a tremendous advantage that someone below the level of a bronze saint, like Ark, could perform closer to a silver saint. Ark was in the midst of learning how to generate music without a physical instrument, but the tournament came too soon. He still needed that guitar, a present from Shun, for a while yet. Ark winced and made his decision.

Konrad's eyes widened when he saw Ark land headfirst on the concrete. His body crumpled, but heaved to his side. He had kept the guitar from connecting to the hard floor. A medic team arrived to find Ark still conscious. Although his head bled, he was only lethargic. The announcer declared Konrad victorious, but he already hurried to Ark.

"Ark? Are you alright?" The boy had clutched his guitar despite the efforts of the medics to put him on a stretcher. He gestured his hands, and Albion already answered his cryptic signal.

"Ark, here!" Albion handed over the notepad and pencil.

"He can't possibly be in a condition to write!" The medic shoved the items away, but Ark aggresively grabbed them and wrote.

"Sorry, that's music." Albion cringed at making Ark rewrite. The real message caused him to laugh.

Konrad caught sight of it. "I don't get it."

"Please give us space!" The medic pushed Konrad aside, but Ark pushed him aside. Despite holding his sore head, the boy sat upright.

"He'll be fine, he's just shaken." Albion understood Ark's request and helped him to his feet.

The announcer briefed the audience on the scene. "It appears Ark is alright. He is awake and able to walk. Medics are still with him to determine if he has a concussion. As for the remainder of the first round, there is another forfieture and a cancellation. The scheduled match between Mackenzie and Nemo has been given to Mackenzie by default. The match between Van and Argama is wholly cancelled because neither have stayed to participate in the tournament. That concludes the first round of the tournament. This evening was scheduled only to host the first round, but due to circumstances tonight's event would end very early." The audience loudly booed, as the announcer expected. "However, our sponser and judges have agreed to allow the second round to take place right here, right now!" The audience cheered at the prospect their tickets kept full value. "Which means that the first match of round two can begin!"

Albion stopped, then looked back to the ring near where Seiken stood. Just like Seiken, he knew his match ahead of time. Konrad hurried to the two students of Shun. "I'll help him to the locker room. You go and fight Seiken." Albion quietly agreed and returned to ringside, much to the applause of the spectators. Since earlier that evening, he made some adjustment to the environment, but his match meant the spectators totally focused on him.


	15. 3 April, 1998 part 5

Seiken couldn't believe it. It really did sound like metal when Albion was hit. He thought Kaga exaggerated, but it was indeed true. Also, Albion sought victory in the same manner. The large hand suspended the boy effortlessly. His body was already at the chains. Desperation kicked in, and Seiken resorted to the forbidden technique.

Albion stopped not because of pain, but from laughter. The knifehand landed squarely on his side, but that annoying clang of metal signaled futility. Seiken desperately chopped at Albion, but it only made the towering youth laugh harder. Luckily, his grip loosened, and the smaller boy managed to slip free and scramble to keep distance.

"Impossible... you're not even cut? What are you?"

"Nooo, you're prolonging the match!" Albion glanced at the audience, the air of being the center of attention was thick. He approached to attempt the same hold on Seiken.

"As if!" Seiken sliced at the air, the audience nothing more than an afterthought.

Albion saw the disturbance in the air, and remembered a similar attack was used on Agryos. Unlike most viewers of the scene, Albion saw the events unfold clearly. The transparent slice expanded with travel, and Agryos threw himself into the attack to absorb all of it. Had he not done so, the slice would have continued to the audience. As much as he wanted to be invisible to them, Albion couldn't let harm fall on the audience. He jumped ahead and took the entire attack, but the sound of struck iron concluded he took no harm.

"Seiken you idiot! What did I just tell you?" Was Kiki always watching from ringside?

"It's OK, Mr. Kiki, I can catch every one of his hits."

"Catch? You've got some nerve! This isn't a ball game!"

Kiki seemed aware of Albion's capabilities. "Very well. Go ahead and use your technique, knucklehead."

Seiken looked as if he was given a license to kill. He resumed his stance and threw another knifehand toward Albion. Naturally the tall boy intercepted the arc effortlessly. Seiken did not let it end there, as he followed with a constant stream of slicing motions. With each interception, Albion drew closer. It was inevitable the giant would step into reach of the boy. Seiken hastened his barrage. The rate of cuts increased, some of them breaking sound. Those that did break mach 1 caused a different sort of noise. A second after the strike landed, an extremely loud sound of metal resonated throughout the arena. Spectators wondered if the building was hit by a bus or something of the sort. They soon realized the sound came from the competitors. Distortions were visible in the air between the two opponents.

_Just what in the Hell is he? He can't possibly be made of iron! Even if he is, that means I need to be able to slice iron! _Seiken's determination grew such that a soft light grew from him. The knifehands that broke sound now did so two times. Although no cut penetrated Albion's skin, the force was enough to stall him in place. The area behind Albion, as far as the seating, grew quite windy. _All those years cutting rock and water... it has to amount now! I don't care if you're invincible, I'll push you out of bounds if I have to!_ Seiken's anger grew with his aura.

_Now I see what you meant, Shiryu. This boy is certainly different. His affinity with his cosmo is natural to him. Already he is as fast as a silver saint. He's only getting angrier and his cosmo grows._ Kiki was intrigued that landed blows now broke mach 3, some even hit mach 4. The latter were so strong that sparks flew from the contact with Albion. Finally the audience was treated to the show they paid good money for. Sparks became small explosions. At this point the giant was finally pushed back with successive hits. _You managed to aid Seiken's technique, Albion. With such tenacious practice, Seiken suddenly learned to focus his knife technique on just yourself._

Albion observed the change in Seiken's offense, and decided it was time to end this before he really could be defeated. The canvas suddenly depressed further with Albion's steps. He lumbered towards Seiken, the supersonic strikes no longer effective. Even Kiki could not expect this. _His cosmo! It just spiked!_ He blinked, unable to look directly at the giant. _That isn't light! His cosmo is too bright? It's density is unlike anything I've seen before!_

Seiken helplessly watched a much more invincible Albion reach at him. This grip was far stronger and heavier. It felt like a clamp of lead around his neck. Just like Kaga before him, Seiken watched his world tilt and turn upside down before his body firmly hit the deck floor. Seiken sat up to see Albion quickly exit to the locker room, not even staying long enough to hear the announcement of his victory. At first Seiken was angry, but he replayed that decisive moment in his mind. He saw it too, the dense buildup of cosmo in Albion. It felt as massive as the cosmo of his master and Kiki.

A figure leapt over Seiken, and he scrambled to his feet to see who had the audacity to hurry into his match. This red-head boy was unfamiliar. Across from him was the equally-as-expedient Faust. A hand laid on Seiken's shoulder. He turned to find Kiki next to him.

"Kiki! I--"

"It's OK. Don't worry about it. Just watch this match."

Seiken didn't know what to think of Kiki's fickle judgement on his use of the forbidden technique. The announcer revealed the newcomer as Niou. The announcement also declared the arena now used a special audio system to let the audience listen to the dialogue of the competitors in the ring.

"I heard of you. You're Seiya's _other_ student."

"Yes, that is true."

"Well, then I should give it my all against you."

"Fine."

Faust smirked for a moment, but focused on making the first move. He struck his fist to the air at Niou. Many thought it looked silly, even Niou. However, Niou suddenly had trouble breathing. Within seconds he fell to one knee and held his chest. His breath grew hoarse and heavy. "This is the most basic test for one who seeks bronze cloth. Any normal man, even an olympic athlete, would die in minutes from that. If you can't survive this, then you cannot survive anything further from me." He watched Niou writhe and wretch for several seconds, then decided his opponent wouldn't make it. He turned as if to accept his victory so soon.

"Wait." Niou called out, already on his feet. He still suffered, but had broke through the worst of the condition. "It'll take more than that to put me down."

"Fine. Be that way." The image of a serpentine monster briefly flickered over Faust, and he delivered a much more powerful version of the previous attack. Niou briefly appeared as double. The next thing Faust knew was that he was thrown from a grapple by Niou. Faust quickly bounced on his feet. "Impossible! You parried it?"

"The same technique never works on a saint twice."

"You're not a saint!" His hand outstretched, and from the fingers shot lines of distortions. Faust wasn't surprised when Meteor Fist deflected the numerous hits. He was surprised, however, that one of his attacks landed on Niou. He grinned, aware he made some progress against his worthy foe. As small as the cut was, it carried with it the same liability that initial attack held.

Niou was forced to one knee again. "Poison? How are you attacking me with poison?"

Faust laughed. "You think I illegally brought poison against you? I broke no rules forbidding weapons."

"Then how--"

"The universal poisons. You do not realize that poisons are all around us. I simply use what is natural, and inevitable, in our fight."

"Inevitable?"

"The deadliest poison is upon us, and has been. It is absolutely lethal, yet you and I require it to live." He sent another barrage of his transparent projectiles. Niou barely blocked them with Meteor Fist. "Oxygen, Niou. Oxygen. In its purest form, no creature on earth can survive prolonged exposure. I'm not so cruel as to outright use it against you, but I am using a safer variety of oxygen against you." _Actually you're lucky I do not yet know how to produce pure oxygen._ "Knowing this, you would still oppose me? There is a strong chance you may die if I continue to use my technique of Poison Fist."

"Well... that is a risk I'm willing to take." Niou suddenly stood up and charged against Faust. To counter, Faust used his technique rapidly against the Meteor Fist of Niou. When it seemed all the punches of each opponent cancelled against each other, Faust noticed the cut on Niou had healed. He scarcely made the observation when he was overwhelmed by Meteor Fist.

The attack sent Faust skidding on the canvas, and his fingers desperately clawed it to keep himself anchored on the ring. His lower half hung off the edge, but not enough to ring-out. _The amount of punches instantly doubled! There is no way he could so easily double his speed!_ He pulled himself back onto the ring. With Niou in sight, he made his instant attack. Again the poison fist made its way at Niou, and it landed. Although Niou was clearly pushed back, he instantly vanished. In that same split-second, a fist dug into Faust's jaw. He skidded and stopped short of the chains. _That cut is back? I thought it healed!_

Niou took the offense and charged with Meteor Fist. Faust did his best to parry, but the rate of punches suddenly doubled. Despite the multitude of landed blows, Faust did his best to parry more than half of the total hits. The rate suddenly dropped, and he parried all hits. The change in speed was a rouse, and a second later it doubled again. This false sense of confidence in Faust's parry allowed more than half of the hits to land. The rate returned to normal again, then doubled a second later. This second mind game caused nearly all punches to land, which was too much for Faust to weather. He fell to both knees, and appeared unconscious. Niou was about to step back when his fallen opponent suddenly delivered an uppercut to his jaw. An actual explosion accompanied the blow, and Niou flew high into the air before crashing to the ring. Most of red-head's clothes were charred, and wisps of smoke rose from his body.

"Oxygen... is also highly flammable." Faust tried his best to remain upright. Much to his dismay, Niou's hand twitched. He couldn't avoid the body's sudden flight against him. Niou had somehow rocketed himself at his foe, and the impact sent Faust through the chains and tumbling along the deck. Niou even saw this painful landing while he himself struggled to stand with the chains. Faust did his best to reach his hand to the ring, but the fatigue was too great. When his eyes began to close, he suddenly saw the absence of the cut on Niou's side. _So that's your secret._ He fell unconscious, unable to hear the announcement that Niou won the match.

A small boy stood over the fallen Faust. He wanted to say something about Faust's performance, but since the youth was out cold, it would serve no purpose. Niou ambled from the ring to this boy. "That was a good fight."

"Really? I let him do too much to me." Niou coughed.

"Don't be so surprised Faust was so challenging." Kiki approached along with Kaga and Seiken. "Faust **is** a bronze saint." The last two words resonated in Kaga's mind while he stared at this other boy. "Faust requested he be in the tournament because he felt he still had to prove his worth as the bronze saint of Hydra." The news made Niou tingle inside, the thought he matched against an actual saint.

"Nyx? Is that really you?" Kaga was scared that maybe this boy just so happened to look like the boy who helped him in Sanctuary.

"Kaga! I'm so glad you made it to the tournament!" The boy's tail danced beyond the cape.

"What are you wearing?"

"My cloth."

"You're a saint?"

"Nyx has been a saint even before you started training under me. He is the silver saint of Lacerta."

"S-silver saint? Even back then you were a silver saint?"

"Yup."

"But when you helped me..."

"Yup."

"Nyx told me what you two did. Technically you still shouldn't have been my student, Kaga. But his scheme was so funny I decided to keep you as my student."

Kaga was still amazed by Nyx. "A silver saint all along... wow!"

"You haven't really changed much, Nyx. Well, except for your tail getting fatter." This provoked Kaga to take a look. Sure enough, the tail was twice as long as before, and visibly thicker. Nyx liked the attention, so he brought his tail to his hands to pet it.

"Nyx, I'm going to take Faust to a cot."

"OK, Niou. So you were down here the whole time, Kiki?"

"I only arrived during Seiken's first match. I didn't have time to join the rest of you."

Seiken of course became curious after his name was mentioned. "The rest of you?' What do you mean?"

"The judges. Nyx and I are two of them. The others are senior bronze saints."

"Whoa, you also judge the tournament too?" Kaga's fascination with the boy bordered on admiration. "Wait, then that means my match must have been terrible for you."

"Uh, don't worry about it. You had no idea Albion was so strong."

"He's right, Kaga. Albion belongs to a league ahead of you. I'm surprised Seiken here managed to prolong the fight." Kiki gave the boy a hearty pat on the back, much to the boy's dismay since it belittled his greatest fight yet. "By the way, maybe you want to fetch Konrad. It's his match now."

"Oh, right." Seiken stepped back, finding himself too drawn to stay with Kiki and Nyx. It felt so odd to stand among proven saints when he himself still wished to earn his cloth. He reluctantly went to the far locker room where Konrad, Ark, and Albion waited.

"Konrad is going to be in for the thrill of his life." Kiki sensed a cosmo from within the nearest hallway.

"Why is that?"

"He's up against Hyoga's student, Griffith. If I wasn't a saint, I'd probably bet on him. Then again, if Albion wasn't around, I'd bet on Griffith."

"You're a terrible gambler."

Kiki patted the boy on the head. "And you're a terrible role model."

"Takes one to know one."

"So, I keep forgetting to ask you something, and I don't see you often. Who is your student anyway?"

Nyx took a deep breath. Whether it was a yell of excitement or frustration, Kiki couldn't tell. "Someone older than me!"


	16. 3 April, 1998 part 6

"Gaaaah!" Griffith fell on his head and awkwardly crumpled on the bloody canvas. Konrad remained steady with his gaurd up. The student of Hyoga was tougher than he looked, and his arms worked to drag himself up. Pain from the blow subsided as Griffith's darkened eyes stared at his opponent. _I don't get it. I can see everything he does, I am faster than him, no doubt. So how is he still beating me to the punch?_ He pushed his upper body up. Dizziness paused him, but he gradually forced himself to his feet. _Maybe I should be using a stronger technique... I got it._ Griffith grinned as the cosmo within him numbed the pain. "You think you're so smart, but I've got aces up my sleeve too!" His posture was the same as the traditional technique of ice saints, Diamond Dust.

"That's not going to work, Frosty. An attack never works on a saint twice."

"That's what you think!" The cosmo of the ice student soared as he delivered the torrent of the icy attack.

"Man, I just told you..." Konrad evaded the assault already, and delivered a strong punch to Griffith's side. "This..." another hit struck Griffith's face. "attack..." another blow connected to his back. "won't..." still another punch dug into Griffith's chest. "work!" A final punch clobbered Griffith right along his spine. The emaciated youth skid forward, but kept his twitching body up. Griffith, who just took a beating worse than before, simply laughed. "What's so funny?"

Griffith jerked his body around to face Konrad. "Did I say it was Diamond Dust?"

"Of course it's Diamond Dust, the hallmark of any saint. What kind of idiot wouldn't recognize it?"

"But I never said it was Diamond Dust. Now you're paying for it!"

"Paying for it? Come on!" Konrad raised a fist, but saw it was encased in ice. His other hand was also imprisoned. "What did-- how did you--"

"What lets you keep hitting me, it would let you right into my trap. Now tell me, what the heck did you do to me that lets you land every hit on me?"

Konrad was impressed with the way his foe turned the tables. "Well, since you asked so politely, I used the Sticker technique."

"The 'Sticker technique?"

"You can't really see it because of the shirt, but on my back is the tattoo of a tiger. Master Shiryuu gave me this tattoo in the tradition of those that train at Lushan. The tattoo is a visible bond between a saint and his cosmo, it's too special to be a normal tattoo. Master Shiryuu used a certain technique to give me the tattoo. Every student that receives..." Konrad paused in remembered a milestone in his training. "... and survives it, memorizes that technique. The first part of the technique isn't sacred, but it has a magic touch on a person. I changed it a little, and hit you with it. My attacks will hit you, even you think you're faster, this Sticker accelerates me to land the blow on you. It's like a big red target painted on you."

"Figures, it gives you the advantage up close."

"I'm still at an advantage, you see, and it's not because of the Sticker."

"Huh, what's that?"

Konrad's cosmo suddenly peaked. "You haven't sealed my fist, you've only made it stronger!" The image of the tiger appeared above Konrad, the real symbol of his power. Griffith could not react in time when Konrad's trademark technique plowed into him full force. As Konrad predicted, the ice over the fist sharpened the blow, the shattering ice cutting Griffith all over. The ice had numbed his fists, therefore he had less reservation in hurling his body through harm to assault his opponent.

Griffith was high in the air among countless shards of ice, then he crashed back into the ring. There was far more ice around him than Konrad remembered being on his fists. Once the boy made the observation, it was too late. Griffith had somehow produced more ice to mitigate the damage. Still bloodied, Griffith sprung to his feet with a prepared attack, that of the stronger Aurora Thunder Attack. Konrad was too drained from his own attack that he had no defense against this new attack. He resisted it head-on, but ultimately he succumbed to its extreme pressure. Unlike most spectacular attacks, this one left Konrad on his feet.

Griffith couldn't believe his eyes that Konrad not only managed to stay standing, but that he took steps toward Griffith. "Holy shit, how strong are you?" His evil eyes lightened from the wonder. In watching Konrad, he noticed something seemed off. Konrad looked more blue and blue with each step. The boy was right in front of the scary-looking youth when he reached his hand forward. His palm reached Griffith's forehead, and indeed there was a sensation, but it wasn't painful. Konrad simply smiled, laughed, then collapsed. "Huh, that was weird." He then shuddered from his bleeding wounds, he needed to get that taken care of. Griffith ignored the declaration of his win as he lifted and carried the fallen Konrad out of the ring.

"Hey, Griffith, you plan on keeping that?" Kiki called out to him.

"Huh, keep what?"

"That mark on your forehead."

"Mark on my forehead?" Griffith rubbed it, hoping it was just blood.

"Nope, still there."

Nyx finally identified it. "It's a yucky sticker!"

"What? How?" Griffith rushed to a locker room. He hardly set Konrad down when he hurried to a mirror. There it was, a big yellow iconic face making the yucky expression. He rubbed it to no avail. His lamenting cry was even audible to anyone near the ring.


	17. 3 April, 1998 part 7

Kaga refused to fall down. Even though he was on his knees and cut everywhere, he refused to submit to Ark. The silent boy softened his melody, because he wasn't sure why Kaga continued to push himself to the brink of death. Even though Kaga was aware of Ark's ability demonstrated in the fight with Konrad, he had no idea how to genuinely defeat Ark. Konrad just overwhelmed him with sheer force, and let Ark decide to lose because of bad luck. The best Kiki's student could do was see wisps of cosmo in the air around him. They swooped in to harm him, but none of his blocking or evading was enough to save him.

"Come on, you give the finishing blow. There's no way I'm going to let you win while I'm still conscious."

Ark feared the prospect of going that far. No matter how ineffective Kaga was against Ark, the boy managed to survive most every attack thrown against him. Kiki sternly watched the fight. Kaga was supposed to be better than this, Kiki indeed instructed the boy in use of the sixth sense, a means to overcome Ark's musical technique. Yet Kaga failed to use any of that knowledge. He was fighting foolishly. _I can sense hatred in you, but why only in the ring with Ark?_

"Finish me off already! Or maybe the students of Shun are too gentle?"

Ark was put in a situation. Whatever he played at this point was not enough to knock out Kaga. His resilience only grew over time. A higher level of technique was necessary, but the boy never expected to use such a thing so soon. He stopped the song, and his fingers contemplatively glided along the strings. He repositioned his fingers, revealing he only used six of the seven strings earlier. He was just about to play when a towel fell before him. Both kids looked at the direction it came from. Kiki stood on the outside of the chains.

"A judge has thrown in a towel! But who is being submitted?" The announcer needed to wait for confirmation.

"I can't let this match continue."

"Master?"

"You don't have to go through with this. There's always another chance to prove yourself for the cloth." Kiki went on to tell the referee the outcome.

"Judge Kiki has ruled a technical knock-out in favor of Ark."

"Come on, let's get you rest." When Kiki's hand touched his student's shoulder, Kaga realized he really lost.

"But-but--" Kaga stuttered as he was led away. _I was so close, yet I couldn't do anything again! Ark and Albion... if I was just stronger, things would be different for all of you._ He found himself to weak to do anything other than leave with Kiki. They passed by Nyx, who caught sight of Kaga's angry expression.

"That was one of longest fights this evening, but now it's time for the next match in the round. Due to earlier cancellations, two possible matches in the round will not occur. Due to severe injury, Agryos will be unable to face Jun. By default, Jun is the winner. However, the judges have ruled a special decision for an exhibition match. Both Jun and Mackenzie, because they have not yet fought in the tournament, have agreed to an exhibition match. The match will not affect further eligibility in the tournament."

Griffith spotted Jun on his way to the ring. "Hey, where were you?" Jun simply ignored Griffith and continued onward. "What's your problem?"

Jun jumped into the ring and waited for his opponent. Of all the competitors in the tournament, Mackenzie was the one nobody saw. Much to his surprise, a very large figure made its way from the adjacent entrance. This giant easily leapt into the ring, which caused a tremor for Jun to struggle with balance.

"Hailing from the Rocky Mountains in Canada, Mackenzie is a student of Ursa Geki, a bronze saint who competed in the last Galaxian Tournament." The audience was in awe at the size of Mackenzie. This fighter was nearly as tall as Albion, but boasted an incredibly muscular physique as well. Stranger still, and perhaps the most unsettling feature, was this giant's face. The stark contrast of a beautiful face and such an intimidating body was enough for Jun to lose his composure.

_What? What am I up against?_ Jun checked up and down. The flannel vest was closed, but the exposed arms were what made Mackenzie's build very obvious. When their eyes met, Mackenzie smiled. Jun swore he saw sparkling teeth, like a manga hero. _Such a pretty face on an ugly body... Why do I get stuck fighting with freaks?_ The bell began their fight. Mackenzie took a defensive stance while Jun was still unfocused.

"You're one of Hyoga's students, which means you know ice techniques." Mackenzie's voice was actually quite fair.

"That's a good guess. You're just sorely mistaken if that's all you think of me." He strafed in suspense, unsure of how to make an offensive.

"You can call me Mack."

"What?"

"I prefer my nickname. I just thought I should let you know. It's annoying to hear the whole name on the speakers so many times."

Jun didn't know what to think of the straightforwardness. "Uh, thanks."

"Well, here I go." Mack outstretched a hand at Jun. He instantly reacted by parrying. Others saw him react to nothing, but Jun discovered he parried a force like an invisible fist. Mack made several more such movements, and Jun promptly parried them as well. "Heh, looks like I found your technique."

"What?"

"Don't play dumb. You seriously thought you could defeat me in hand-to-hand? Someone twice my size would still have difficulty against your defense at close range." Arms crossed, Mack confidently stood with no suggetive stance.

Jun reacted to an imminent force. He parried another one of those mysterious, invisible fists. _No movement? What am I being struck with? How can he hit me without making any movement? I can parry anything now, but there's no way this is the extent of his ability._ Another invisible fist met Jun, and he was quick to parry. However, this attack broke through his technique. It was much too strong, and swept him off his feet. He immediately recovered. _Such power, yet no movement? Is he moving at the speed of light?_ Jun saw a faint glow around Mack. _Cosmo, he's been steadily burning cosmo this whole time. It feels as strong as Griffith's, maybe stronger. I can't remain on the defensive, or I'm a sitting duck._ Jun edged closer to Mack. _I can't take a chance, I need to up the ante. If I use 'that' technique, I may take him out in one hit. I'm ready to kill if I have to._ Jun's cosmo welled up as he recalled one of his oldest techniques in memory. He only punched ahead at Mack, who braced against a possible invisible fist, but instead found no harm. Mack made no movement after this, and continued to stare at Jun. _I think it worked._ He edged closer. As he drew closer, he noticed Mack's eyes did not follow him. This was his sign to continue his approach. He was right before Mack when he prepared to simply remove his silent opponent from the ring. His hands reached forward, and right when he felt the flannel, the most awesome force struck him on the top of his skull. Jun fell and reeled on the floor, gripping his head in agony. Mack had executed an elbow strike to his head, which definitely exceeded the speed of sound.

"I'm smarter than you, jackass. I don't know where you picked up such a potent technique, but it's useless on warriors like me."

At this point Kiki was watching the fight for some time. He knew Mack's strike was lethal. It targeted the very fusion of the skull bones, the impact enough to seperate the bones. Jun merely survived because of his superhuman defense. What worried Kiki more was the state in which Mack made the move. Jun was a sneaky devil to know the technique of the Phoenix saint, Genma Ken. Anyone else would have been disabled, perhaps permanently. Mackenzie, however, managed to break free from its hellish grip in just under a minute. _That's the pressure I've been feeling all along. It's Mackenzie._

Jun rolled away in desperation, the pain unbearable. Mack slowly approached to ascertain the scope of the damage. _Tears? I hurt you that much? Someone who escaped Death Queen Island?_ Mack heard the rumors of such a person, and did not expect Jun to be that very person. It was disappointing the reality fell short of the hype. Mack felt an itch on the elbow, and checked to find the entire arm trapped in ice.

Jun stopped his writhing when he saw Mack distracted. _This is my chance!_ His cosmo soared when he maneuvered towards Mack's feet. Both hands grasped both ankles, mighty pillars really. Mack noticed too late, since grabbing the ankles meant success. It was like his training, performing the riskiest move to deliver an ice technique on full contact. Polar bears were larger, but nowhere as powerful as Mackenzie. Hyoga instructed him in the move, but it was Atka who brilliantly improved it. A normal freezing paralyzed the target, but Atka's alteration meant death.

Mack immediately pounded both fists upon Jun. Ice on both Jun and Mack shattered away as the pummeling continued. Jun's entire body was extremely cold, and the loss of heat was felt even as far up as Mack's face. Mack paused when the purpose of Jun's attack became clear. One leg was already covered in ice from sudden freezing. The other leg, however, suffered burning heat. The denim smoked and charred away while Jun's grip continued to burn. _His cosmo is higher than ever!_ Mack almost swooned. _Shit, my body doesn't want to obey me! It's like I'm losing my senses._ Mack fought to remain conscious, but fond it harder and harder when the temperatures on both legs pushed to further extremes. The right pant leg already burned above the knee, exposing just how rock solid Mack's leg was. _I can't be stupid! I'll have to put him out before he puts me out!_ Mack's massive hands clamped onto Jun's neck. Only seconds passed when the temperature changes slowed down. Jun was too stressed by the choke to continue the pace of his technique. _Wait! My body... it's gonna die? I'm having a fever! I can feel the difference on each side. My body doesn't know whether to stay cool or stay warm. He's tampering with how my body stays alive! If this continues, I'll die! I have to hurry!_ Mack's grip tightened. Jun gasped for air, but refused to let up on his deadly technique. _I need everything, not just brute force!_ The gloved hands burdened Jun's neck to new extremes. His neck began to make a sick cracking sound, his bones already failing him. He did not relent, and delved deeper into his cosmo to continue his struggle. At this point, Mack clearly saw his cosmo burning, among the highest ever felt.

Jun's newfound level of cosmo caused him to rise a little. He felt Mack's incredible power. That was the secret of Mack's strength, telekinesis. This giant was psychic! The realization was perfect timing, because Mack unintentionally used telepathy into Jun's mind. _I can feel Mack's presence... it's like he's giving it all he's got. I can see his training in the mountains, fighting with bears like I have._ Jun couldn't help but witness flickers of Mack's memories while Mack caught climpses of his own. _Mack... you're so determined._ Jun's struggle peaked. He could no longer escalate his cosmo. _So that's your secret._ His power waned.

Mack likewise found a secret of Jun's. When his resistence weakened, Mack also relented in grip strength. _He's passed out, there's no point in holding him anymore._ Mack let go, then staggered free from Jun's hands. The fever subsided, but the ice and burns on the legs remained as reminders of the intensity of their fight. Once declared the winner, Mack lifted Jun to remove him from the ring.

"Hey, I'll take him." Griffith waited at ring side. Knowing the association between the two, Mackenzie handed the falled Jun over to his friend. "Thanks." While he left, Mack exited the ring.

"You're fighting him next round." Kiki somehow sneaked nearby the large competitor.

"You're kidding, right? I have to fight another ice saint?"

"Nope, you fight Griffith. Why did you say 'ice saint?"

"Uh, well, they're so strong, it's hard to see why they're not saints."

"If you say so." Kiki began to leave.

The announcer declared an end to that evening's event. The rest of the tournament was scheduled for noon the next day. The audience began its departure. Mack couldn't help but wonder about something. "Are you psychic?"

Kiki stopped and returned to face Mack. "So you've noticed."

"Then that means you--"

"Yes. But if I was going to disqualify you, I would have done so already. Besides, Geki knowingly put you in the tournament."

"So that means I'm still in?"

"Obviously. Sanctuary has changed, and we've done alot of reforms."

"I see. Thank you."

"No problem."

Mack limped for a while, because of the ice. It wasn't like regular ice that took hours to thaw. It relied on the cosmo of the saint who created it, in this case Jun. Since Jun was asleep, the ice melted away within the hour. At that point, Mack found it more troublesome to have much of the right pant leg burned away. The leg looked like it came from a pair of short shorts, a bit inappropriate for Mack's taste. As a trainee, Mack did not quite have access to a second pair of jeans that actually fit. The giant westerner searched the surrounding shopping area for the chance in finding a new pair that fit. Unfortunately, Mack was just too big a person for any Japanese store. Eventually Mack just settled on a cheap rain poncho to tie from the waist to get some covering until meeting Geki again. The people were understandably intimidated by such a large westerner. In some cases people just outright avoided communication. They were shocked when Mack spoke perfect japanese. Those that recognized Mack from the tournament requested their pictures taken with the giant fighter. The awe, fear, and even attention was something Mack wasn't ready for. It was the first time for the trainee to be in a major city. Mack passed by a karaoke box establishment. A man standing by the wall suddenly looked at Mack. He looked familiar, but the foreigner couldn't figure out why.

"If you stand here, you can hear the music." He stepped aside for Mack to try. Sure enough, there was indeed a leak of sound from a karaoke box.

"Whoever is singing is pretty good."

Inside, a rather tall foreigner finished the last of the song, "...no chikara o atsumete mirai o tsukamu yo!" His spirited rendition was met with applause.

"Albion, could you sing another song? You did that one so well just now." Konrad was among those sitting.

"Ah, maybe, but I'm getting cramped in this low ceiling." Albion had to remain ducked so as not to poke his head into the ceiling.

"You just feel shy about singing, comrade." Nyx, younger yet his senior, sat next to him. "And I already sang before Albion did."

"But Albion sings sooo well!" Konrad's flattery made the pretty blush.

"OK, I guess I can sing another song."

"How about from the same anime, maybe 'High Pressure?"

"Well, I kind of want to sing an american song now."

"Does the machine even have american songs?" Niou fiddled around with the machine. "No, it's cheap junk, no american songs."

"Well we can't exactly afford Fiesta, your majesty." Nyx could get away with teasing his friend.

"Alright, I'll sing, but that means you're next, comrade." Everyone had picked up the nickname for Konrad by this point. It was just catchy to say so, even when Van was the one who started it. Albion was relieved to finally sit down, even if he had to shove the table aside to fit his legs. Sitting down, Albion was still taller than Niou who stood.

"OK OK, I'll go next." Konrad noticed the seating had no problem holding the giant. "Albion, how come you're not as heavy like before when you fought Seiken."

"Um, well, it's pretty complicated."

Ark handed Konrad a short explanation. "Oooh, I get it." The note equated Albion's weight to the cosmo he burned. "Wow, I was wondering about that ever since Seiken told me his side of the story." Niou began singing, which was far better than Konrad hoped. He felt he was as bad a singer as Nyx, who seemed to make the most enjoyment out of screaming the lyrics beyond the music.

"How is Seiken?" Albion hadn't seen the boy since their match.

"He went to the hospital to be with Agryos. He really feels bad about what happened back then. Thanks for letting him use his technique. He's gone up a whole level because of it."

"Oh, that's really good." Albion crossed his legs, and for a moment Nyx glanced as if he forgot Albion was male.


	18. 4 April, 1998 blue side

Both students of Hyoga were practically the first at ringside that morning. Jun seemed more uneasy than usual, yet he spoke first. "Griffith, there's something you should know about your opponent."

"Well you fought him already, so you're going to tell me some trick to beating him?"

"Um-"

"It doesn't matter. I don't need any tricks ahead of time. I didn't watch your fight with Mackenzie either. A real saint would immediately figure out his opponent, right?" Griffith caught sight of the rather large competitor entering the deck. "Well, doesn't matter now, buddy." He patted Jun on the shoulder before taking to the ring.

_It's not that, it's something very personal about Mackenzie that might give you a problem._ Jun held his tongue and decided to watch the battle pan out.

Once in the ring, Mack stretched. A new pair of jeans were worn, but this time Mack simply wore the loose T-shirt without the flannel. "It's a warmer day today. You're not bothered?" Mack indicated Griffith's heavier, long-sleeved shirt. Of course it was the shirt he wore yesterday, and indeed it showed wear from his battles.

"It's my only good shirt. Well, my only shirt." Griffith felt more anxious when viewing Mack from a closer angle. The sheer size of that competitor was not so apparent before. Jun thought he saw Griffith smiling. This wasn't like the fight with Konrad. The last time Jun saw the boy grin like that was the spar with Hyoga. Of course the Aquarius saint held a clear advantage over Griffith, but the fact was the boy managed to perform far above anyone's expectations. It was a fight like that which brought Griffith to a whole new level of power. Griffith certainly anticipated something this morning. Both opponents paced towards each other in some sort of standoff. The look in Griffith's eyes suddenly sharpened, and the next thing he knew, he was standing at a much lower altitude.

Mack had quickly brought down a hammer-fist upon the scrawny boy's head. The force drove his body deep into the slab, with Griffith's shoulders barely above the concrete. He looked incredibly dazed, no doubt his brains took a harsh rattle. Mack casually followed up with a direct kick to his face. His body broke through the cement to the edge. "You're definitely tough to stay on your feet." It was an understatement seeing as how anyone lesser couldn't even stay in once piece.

_Man that hurts._ Griffith wiped the blood from his scary face. _Well that was pretty stupid of me to just take those hits. Now I'm sure this guy is a heck of alot stronger than Konrad. Looks like I can go all out on this one._ Griffith summoned all his available energy. His desperation became apparent when the broken ring around him froze beneath ice.

"You idiot, I can just step out of the way." Mack made punching gestures, but this was just a casual way of telekinetically hitting Griffith. Of course this surprised him, but he took all the blows. "Jun was a better opponent."

Griffith suddenly looked far too evil, enough to startle Mack. "Jun and I never fought each other, so I couldn't say which of us is stronger. Then again, he and Atka are the smart ones."

"And that makes you stupid?"

"Say what you want. Why don't you come over here and fight me like a real man?"

"You haven't even thrown a punch!" It was better to let the taunt roll away. "Whatever." Mack leapt ahead and struck at the smaller fighter. Griffith made a small hop for the large fist to dig into his abdomen rather than his shirt depressed with Mack's fist further sinking in. Mack could only let out "Oh shit!" when something sharp clasped onto his wrist. Whether it was out of instinct or rationale, Mack's other arm immediately struck against the boy's chest, and shoved him away before this freakish clamp could fully close on the arm. The shirt was too caught in the friction that it tore away when Griffith's body fell back. Mack jumped back, holding the risked hand to make sure it was all there. "What the fuck is that?" He could only gasp in horror when Griffith's shirt fell away to reveal a terrible, lipless mouth on his abdomen. Naturally the audience screamed at the monstrous revelation.

"Damn, that usually wo--" He couldn't finish because a phantom punch shut his human mouth.

"You keep away from me, you freak!"

"Gah! The nerve! You're calling me a freak?"

"I'm not the one with a mouth on my stomach!"

"And you never looked in a mirror? You're the freak! All big and lumpy like that! You look like a girl's head sewn onto a bear!"

Jun's entire body fell cold when heard Griffith's outburst. _That's the worst thing to say right now!_

Mack actually stepped back. The remark actually cut more than anything the mutant did thus far. "You... you don't mean that."

"Of course I did, you bear! I don't care if you have telekinesis or however smart you are. You're just a big mountain of meat! And I'm putting you in the freezer!" Regardless of the distractions, Griffith managed to use the cosmo he he concentrated so far. Jun knew what to look for, and spotted the ghostly image of the vase above Griffith. Mack was too bothered to pay attention to which technique Griffith launched, even if he incorrectly guessed it as Diamond Dust. Griffith's half of the ring shattered as he released the mighty Aurora Execution against the giant.

Jun watched in awe, because he knew Griffith's capabilities. _Even if Atka and I are technically superior, neither of us can perform Hyoga's ultimate technique. We just don't have the raw power to do it yet. Even if you lack in other categories, Griffith, you have the strength to use Aurora Execution, even at the expense of your body._

Mack reluctantly put aside the insult to deal with the amazing attack. It was a mass of cosmo against him, but counter-intuitive to anyone else's release of cosmo. Sheer coldness could not simply describe it. There was force, yes, but it seemed to pull rather than push on a person's cosmo. Mack's gloves atomized, the leather unable to withstand the extreme lack of temperature. His bare hands, being a true part of himself, had hope of survival. _I can feel my body sliding backwards... but no matter how much I push, my cosmo cannot resist it._ _Is this like my last test in training?_

---------------------------------------------

Mack could never forget standing atop track rails that day. Ursa Geki, his master, watched quietly with arms crossed as the rumble of a train intensified. It was the trans-continental line, one of the largest freight lines in existence. At this particular straightaway, the train, moved by four engines, traveled at its top speed. The tonnage of the entire train exceeded 5000, which at the speed faster than the human limit, was a possible death to Mack. The student had stopped trains before, but nothing of this magnitude. It was so calm when the front was still barely visible. It did not feel like there was any danger with the engine still so far. It only closed the distance, and Mack began to realize the size of this behemoth when the windows could be made out. The student wished to look back, but continued to look ahead. Did Geki really put Mack up to this? No, Geki actually had very little input on Mack's training at this time. Mack basically trained alone, and received mentorship from the bronze saint for a couple of years by this point. It was after a rush of successfully stopping the last train that Mack boasted at being able to stop the biggest freight train on the continent. Geki actually tried to talk Mack out of it, but words could not make a difference. With the impending doom, Mack swore he heard the voice of Geki urging to just _step off the tracks._ Was it to keep face, to follow through on his words? Mack could not see that Geki was ready to dive and shove his student out of harm's way. The train horn sounded, the engineer obviously aware of the person on the rails. There was no way to stop, it all depended on Mack whether he lived or died. The point of no return was reached. The train seemed to move in slow motion, and the strongest urging at the back of his mind told him to simply reach forward and grasp the machine like the other engines several times before. Contact was possibly the most uneventful moment in the process. Once the full weight of the train applied to the touch, when Mack's feet slid along the gravel, that was when the painful fight for life began. As cliché as it was for Mack to not remember the struggle, there was no greater feeling than when his feet came to a complete stop. It was the greatest his cosmo ever exploded, and he could not remember the most intense moment. There was nothing left of his shoes, they had torn and melted along the way. Geki was not in sight for a while, and the engineer even stepped out to check on the person capable of such a superhuman feat. He was so shocked that Mack survived that he could not get angry about the time delay in the train's schedule.

When Geki showed up, he had a hard time hiding his joy. Doing his best to appear as a wise mentor as usual, he simply said, "Now that you stopped the train, it's your job to start it again." The corners of his mouth desperately tried to stay down, but his student took the statement faithfully, and set off to the rear of the train. With Mack away, Geki allowed himself to laugh with pride and joy for his student.

-------------------------------------------

_It's just like my training. I need to spread my mind over this power._ Mack held against the awesome attack, even as it pushed further. His telekinesis reached over the great ball of cosmo, and contained it within a sort of invisible bubble. Unlike last time, Mack was fully conscious in performing the trick. As great as Aurora Execution was, it was like so many attacks that Geki described as "dead." Griffith indeed delivered his most powerful attack, but he simply sent it out rather than continuously feed it like how his master, Hyoga, and his master before him, Camus, performed it. Mack observed this, and recalled Geki's instruction that such a sent attack could never endure on its own. That was how he stopped the train, the engineer shut the engine when he found resistance against it. Rather than damage the engines on the supernatural opposition, he shut it and let the momentum wear down against Mack, thus rendering the train as dead. Aurora Execution, for all its power, was improperly executed and wasted on Mack's experience. The power waned, and the energy dissipated. Despite the victory, Mack couldn't yet move. No, there wasn't ice. His body was simply too taxed to move so soon.

Griffith was impressed more than ever. _Damn, to think he could actually stand up to that. I can't even move, but that's OK if he can't move either._ Then he noticed Mack's grin. Unable to react, he suffered a painful strike to his chest. He coughed blood as he fell back.

Even immobilized, Mack was still a threat because of the telekinesis. Unable to stand, Griffith took more hits. Given the power of the mind, Mack forced his body to move through telekinesis instead of his vast muscles. The giant was upon his small opponent now, and held a projected grip over Griffith's neck. The feeling of pins and needles overwhelmed his body, but Mack took it as a sign to use his body's own power once more. The massive hands wrapped around the slender neck. "I hate getting my hands dirty, but you're that worthwhile a foe." Defiant as ever, Griffith's boney fingers gripped Mack's immense wrist. The difference in strength was too vast, but the choking pressure ceased to build. Mack had stopped closing on his neck. _His hands... those arms... what the hell? He's so small!_ The sight of those visible ribs was suddenly too jarring. _How can such a fragile body carry so much power?_

Griffith managed to laugh. "Gotcha!" Light appeared from his second mouth. Mack immediately let go and jumped away when fire spewed from the maw. No matter where Mack fled, the fire followed. Whatever fueled it, it was so hot as to incinerate and melt what remained of the ring. Spectators like Jun were forced to retreat to the exits. With nowhere else to go, Mack was forced to put up guard and use his psychic power as a shield. It was like a sick joke that the new pair of jeans partially burned away.

_What is with students of the ice saint being capable of such fire?_ Shortness of breath caught his attention. Indeed fire completely obscured Mack from the audience. _I'll suffocate at this rate. I have to take the offensive!_ With the mind bubble at its strongest, Mack hurled himself toward Griffith. The firemonger did not expect the giant body to burst from the flames directly at him. A fist directly cuffed him across the cheek, and his mouth immediately ceased its infernal vomit. Mack already cocked a fist for his face, but for some reason Mack pulled it. Griffith thoughtlessly heatbutted the fist, and both heard a distinct crack. Mack withdrew to make another punch, but found the pinky finger broken. In need of a quick attack, Mack resorted to the other hand. Griffith reacted with another headbutt. Again a pinky broke. As someone who valued his hands, the audacity of Griffith to do such damage was unforgiveable. Mack forced another fist against Griffith, but his abnormally hard head broke the ring finger. He retorted with a punch against Mack's sculpted abdomen. It didn't hurt, but it showed how vulnerable to attack Mack allowed himself to be. As soon as his massive hands painfully clamped around that boney forearm, Mack loosened the grip. Griffith capitalized on the opening, and dug an icy fist into Mack's midsection. It wasn't the punch itself, but the growth of ice that worried Mack. _Why am I having trouble? He's the weak one! He's the losing one! I should be able to pulverize his delicate body!_ Angered, the giant kicked Griffith away. The small fighter simply held and resisted the foot. As if by a stroke of genius, Griffith suddenly pulled. Once it was clear he intended to eat the foot, Mack withdrew. Griffith thought it was funny and let go.

Insulted, Mack took his head in one swift motion. Mack ignored the pain of the broken finger. The sickly body was shaken and hurled against the molten wreckage. As soon as blood appeared, the giant frightfully let go. Griffith tumbled, stopped, and crumpled. The wounds were in various places, but because he was so thin, it looked worse. The student of Geki wished it was finally over, but to his horror, that awkward body managed to rise again. "Just stay down!"

"No way! If you think I'll give up, you've got another thing coming!"

"Look at yourself! You're going to die if you keep this up!" It was an unusual thing to say, Jun thought.

The face the small young man made was chilling. It didn't look angry. Instead those devious eyes gazed with something else. "You think I'm dying?"

"Yes! You're a damn skeleton! You'll break any second!" Mack waited for a response, but he just stood there with that odd expression.

"You-" The darkness obscured much of his face. "You held back on me?" Even when his mouth bared fangs like never before, there was a waver in his face. He was crying.

_What did I do to him?_ "You expect me to kill you?"

"I expect you to show me your best! You've got some nerve insulting Jun and me!"

"Insult? No, I just can't stand the thought of destroying your body!"

"My body is already destroyed!"

"What?"

"You heard me. I'm too far gone." He raised his arms to show just how eerily emaciated he was. Jun knew very well that Griffith was even skinnier before. "It's because of Hyoga and Atka that I overcame this mouth. I decided to become a saint because of that, but this body of mine doesn't have long. I will become a saint or die trying. Don't think you're doing me a favor by pulling your punches on me!"

_Amazing... such determination._ Mack blinked repeatedly for a brief moment. There was something different with Griffith, like some sort of light, but after blinking, the peculiarity vanished. _Even when his body looks weary and battered, his cosmo is still there, still burning!_ "A-alright then. I'll give you my best."

"Against my best!" A fierce cold burst from him. It was just like before, that ultimate ice technique.

"You're on!" Both gathered their cosmo for a final showdown. _Last time I managed to outlast that attack. This time I need to completely tear through it!_ It seemed Griffith was adept at hiding his preparation, because he only needed seconds to unleash Aurora Execution once more. Because he was more emotional, there was more power to it than last time. _Is that a water jug? Is that the sign of Aquarius?_ There was no time for doubt, because the stream of terrifying coldness rushed against Mack's formless raw cosmo. _I just have to control it! Now that I already saw it, I can control it!_ There was something wrong, however. _No, it's not a dead attack!_ Mack's mind allowed sight of Griffith still pushing ahead his master's technique. _Damnit, he figured it out too! That means, that means... that means... I'm gonna die? No! I can't let my master down, I can't let myself down, and I sure as hell won't let Griffith down!_ Mack's own cosmo manifested as an even greater light against the ice technique. _I never imagined I would fight the technique of a gold saint! This is the real deal! This is bigger than any train! And you're giving it to me, Griffith! You brought me to a whole new level!_ The radiance was too great for anyone to see that Mack was actually happy.

Jun watched the fluctuations in the cosmic power which swallowed Mack. Griffith still forced himself behind the Aurora Execution, indeed performing exactly the skill of Aquarius saints. Kiki, who watched from the entrance of the deck, was forced to asknowledge a new development in this battle. Seventh sense. He knew Mack's potential, but for it to surface so soon was something exceptional. He recognized the sight as the beginning of The Big Bang. Griffith, as marvelous as he was already, just fell short of the miracle. A gold saint's technique could permit one to strike, even harm, a gold saint, but there was no substitute for seventh sense. He waited as Mack held the ice technique, letting it snowball as he converted it to part of his own cosmo. The trace of gold around Mack was unmistakeable, but not quite the full lustre of a gold saint. Mack simply broke the threshold, but the first time was usually never perfect. Had Mack fought a gold saint, the gold saint would simply shrug off the giant's retaliation. The point at which Mack turned the cosmic explosion against Griffith was the time for Kiki to intervene in the form of Crystal Wall.

When the light show ended, Griffith was still braced for impact. Kiki could see that at some point Griffith expected the worst in that reversal. With no noise to go by, Griffith lowered his guard and saw the net of light before him. Mackenzie had seen that unassuming wall absorb the entirety of the attack. _That wall is Kiki's? Then THAT is the power of a gold saint?_ Mack looked beyond the wall to find Griffith still on his feet. _Holy shit, he's still ready for more! He could be a gold saint!_

"No." Kiki responded to the competitor's thoughts. He walked up to Griffith, who made no motion. When this close, the saint clearly saw the dilation in the youth's eyes. "He passed out when I removed Crystal Wall. What a trooper, to lose on his feet."

"Then that means--"

"Yes, you made it to next round." This prompted the victor to smile. "But I wouldn't celebrate too soon. You spent alot of energy when you still have a minimum of two more matches today." He was all too correct. That was part of the reason Mack held back, so as to conserve for what could be assumed as more difficult fights.

"And you broke our ring... alot." The strange voice, Mack found, belonged to the white woman that approached. This stranger was right, however. Mack stood in what could be considered a crater.

To actually stand shorter than someone else was a shock. "Who are you?"

Kiki cut off the youth before he could respond. "He's Albion. He might be your next opponent." This caused the giant to smile.

"He?' You're not a girl?"

"Aaah, no way!"

Of course Mack's eyes widened in disbelief. However, Mack couldn't help but notice a certain noise his voice when it raised like that. "That voice, I heard it before."

"Uh, but we never met before."

"No, we haven't, but I swear I heard you recently."

"Sorry, I wouldn't know."

"Well, that's too bad." Mack could only leave the figurative ring for Albion and his opponent, Niou. Kiki meanwhile took Griffith to rest. In watching the conclusion of the battle, Jun relaxed knowing that Mack's secret was still safe.

Poor Albion and Niou stepped carefully over the sharper rubble to stand in the flatter center. Niou had overheard the exchange between Mackenzie and Albion. "Maybe he remembers your voice from a yakuza movie."

"Yakuza movie?"

"Well you sound like a yakuza. That sort of mean voice doesn't match your pretty face."

The giant blushed about the pretty comment, but felt a bit backhanded. "Do I really sound mean?"

"Only if you speak japanese."

Albion thought about anything he said to anyone the whole time he was in this country. He switched to greek. "Ooh... you could have told me this sooner!"

"Ah, I only remembered it now when that guy asked you."

"Huh, what guy?" This response caused Niou to give a very funny look at Albion.

"Nevermind. We have to fight each other."

"Yeah."

"So... this feels strange, the both of us having to fight and all."

"Yeah, it does."


	19. 5 March, 1998

"Ah, greetings Mr. Solo. I hope the festivities are to your liking?" Dressed rather conservatively, this elderly man was indeed the host of the ball. Considering the elite guests, this man looked rather unassuming. He wasn't handsome, there was a certain unevenness to his eyes. He required the aid of a cane to walk, but this was because of a deformed gait and not from old age. This man, Klaudios Makrykostas, is the founder and president of Greece's second largest company, Praxis. Unlike the Solo industry of shipping, Praxis was an arms and defense manufacturer.

"I appreciate the hospitality, but you may address me as Julian. He is my bodyguard, Sorento." Although both men were fully grown, they did not lose their captivating, deceptively feminine, looks.

"As you wish, Julian. Greetings, Sorento. A first-name basis would be appropriate, considering my past dealings with your family."

"That is what I am here for. I mean no disrespect for your party, but I wish to conduct our business as quickly as possible."

"Ah, I see you are as prompt a businessman as you father. We shall proceed with our business, but I would like it if I gave you a tour during our discussion."

"Of your estate?"

"Of my company's rather unconventional merchandise."

"So be it."

"Then let us proceed." Both Julian and Sorento followed the aged entrepreneur down several grand corridors.

Sorento whispered to his friend and master, "Can we really trust his business?"

"We've been over this. My options are limited, and he is indeed our best option."

What appeared a dead-end turned out to reveal a hologram wall. The remaining, hidden corridor terminated in a decorative elevator. The cabin was lavish like the rest of the estate, and their ride presented itself rather smoothly. Upon exit, their elder host explained their current whereabouts. "We are 100 meters beneath the ground level. Between us and the manor is a reinforced barrier, suitable defense against any threat from outside... or inside." They only paced half a minute before finding utter darkness ahead. Klaudios simply waved a hand over a small, solitary console which Julian originally mistook for an ash can. Their floor seperated from the elevator's stage. Apparently they rode an inclined lift. "From what I understand, the Pacific Ocean has been quite a hassle for you, yes?"

Julian originally did communicate the vague need in a letter to Klaudios. "For the last 3 months, my ships have been disappearing. I sent a decoy, a sting really, to sever the problem head on."

"Obviously that was not successful, for you to meet me in person."

"Sorento, the photographs please."

"Yes of course, master." Sorento procured them from a manila envelope, and handed them to the elder billionaire.

"They are satellite photographs of the operation, near an island off the coast of Ecuador. Everything looks normal until 1311. We instantly lost communication with the ship. As you can see, the magnification shows the ship being sunk. Only my ships encounter this problem. All other shipping companies encounter no such trouble there. I refuse to believe that the 284 shipping companies, which use the Panama Canal, would all conspire against me."

"This does not look like a scuttle, there is no explosion of any sort."

"I would personally investigate the coordinates, but I cannot leave the side of my master."

"Sorento is the only agent in my employ capable of handling extraordinary danger, but understandably he refuses to leave me unprotected. I was hoping there was an alternative in the way of better preparing a vessel against the anomaly. The armed ship I sent was a freighter converted to carry the payload of modern battlecruisers. Missiles, anti-aircraft guns, and even a mercenary company were not enough. With conventional weapons useless, I need something more. In the past, my family has done business with you, but I had not known of the secret trades until my father confessed them to me on deathbed. As the heir of the Solo industry, I inherited both the formal and shady practices of my family's business. That is why I am here."

"Well, you certainly came to the expert in unconventional arms." The lift reached its destination. "Ah, here we are. Julian, you will no doubt be interested in observing some of my unconventional projects." He led them through a broad walkway amid what could only be described as a forest of pipes and conduits. Sharp, blue lighting guided their path as far as the eye could see. The floor they walked was simply a platform suspended over an apparent abyss of the same artifical forest. Klaudios glanced over one of the latter pictures. "This satellite imaging was all you performed?"

Julian seem puzzled by the way Klaudios probed at what should have been a final verdict of observation. "Well, yes."

"Then it is simply up to me to survey what you could not." With a wave of his hand, the path before them became a haze. In its place appeared a great computer terminal. Julian and Sorento remained quiet despite their surprise at the disturbance of space. The old man recited the coordinates, and the computer responded with a display of the ocean. He entered other commands, and the map flashed through several colors before settling on a rather spotty pattern of orange. The orange patches diminished until fine dots remained on the continents. The unclaimed islands west of Panama also contained several dots.

"What sort of imaging is this?"

"As I said, I survey what you could not."

"Survey what, exactly?"

The old man's eyes darted to Sorento for a moment. For a brief moment, Sorento felt his mind probed. He could not understand what just happened, and quickly forgot the intangible phenomenon. "Think of the dots as representing the threats Sorento is capable of handling. Were he free to leave you for the adequate time, he would be able to root out the problem."

Julian wasn't sure what Klaudios meant. He had a feeling the old man witheld certain information. However, since he needed his situation solved, he hid his doubt. "Then you have a deterrent available?"

"A simple matter." His hand gestured like before, the computer vanishing in the manner it appeared. "It is a shame we must pass by some complicated, impressive solutions before meeting with the appropriate one. Come along." He signaled ahead, then proceeded down the walkway with the two young men.

Klaudios remained quiet, partially because there was simply nothing remarkable to point out in the scenery. Neither Julian nor Sorento could determine the source of the ambient light. There was no end in sight to this immense corridor. Could such an enormous stronghold really exist beneath Greece's soil? An unexpected turn came up at a three-way intersection. This new path was less monotonous. Conduits to the left gradually hugged the walkway, then suddenly gave way to a great expanse.

The sight startled Sorento the most. "Impossible!" His eyes panned the structure. It was a human face, but of such gigantic size, the width occupied perhaps 40 meters. the bodyguard could only wonder about the rest of the immense body. It seemed to be made of chrome, or at least plated in chrome. "What on earth is this?"

"It is only a museum piece now. It has no use anymore."

"This thing... was used?"

"Come, I would rather not waste time on toys." How could this man be so modest as to regard the largest cast image of a man as a mere toy? The two reluctantly followed Klaudios, and eventually the came upon another exhibit.

The contraption had a sort of tubular shape, almost like several doughnuts stacked upon each other. Coils not only wrapped around the machine, but they lay strewn over its floor, a platform isolated from their walkway. Julian couldn't ignore it. "What is this?"

"Oh that? It is just a prototype."

"Prototype of what?"

"Hmm, I never really named it. Perhaps you can consider it a sort of furnace, or cauldron..." Sorento suddenly caught sight of a rupture in one of the floor coils. It was perhaps as thick as Sorento himself. The tear in the metal was surrounded by a sort of gooey secretion. It was infact a metal, as if it bled from the coil. "... or womb. Let us continue."

The word hung on their minds. Was it a deliberate tease? It was the other side which displayed a severe rupture, as if something exploded outward. The hairs on both of their necks stood on end. Nonetheless, they continued further into the shop of oddities. The tube walls looked more distended and warped the further they walked. Eventually these great tubes tangled in chaotic shapes. Sorento thought he saw movement. He paused only to discover the tubes slowly pulsed. He sensed life within the coiling metal. Life of what?

They suddenly stopped. Klaudios waved his hand, and the path became obstructed by a strange door. It was transparent, but shadows moved behind it. The mysterious entity emerged, clad in a strange full suit of armor. Both Julian and Sorento were puzzled by the appearance of this beautiful woman.

"Surely something ugly is going on in the world if you summoned me, Master Makrykostas." She stretched, then placed a hand on her hip. Her height was immediately discernable, the tallest person armor was unlike anything Sorento ever saw. It was crystalline, almost too intricate to wear. It was almost like she wore the patterns of snowflakes, but it was much more organic than a snowflake's rigid right angles. This crystal was not transparent, it was cloudy. There was still a shimmer, but he initially thought it was some simpler stone. Stranger still, this armor did not look harnessed to her body. It fit too perfectly, like a scale or cloth. No, it fit even better, as if it was literally a part of her body.

"I have a very special... client, who is in need of your services. Valsion, I would like you to meet Julian Solo, heir to the Solo family industry. This is his bodyguard, Sorento."

Valsion strutted forward rather provacatively. "My my, such beautiful clients." The strange woman approached Julian first, but Sorento quickly stood between them. In seeing just how protective Sorento was, Valsion instead directed her affection to Sorento. "Such wonderful eyes..." Her fingers curled beneath his chin, as if to hold his face up to better observe. The touch was quite cold. The fingers were covered in the same crystal, no skin exposed. It was like a full gauntlet, but the whole hand was slender to a natural size as if nothing external was worn. Were the fingers made of this crystal? "Like rich red wine. You are definitely the prettier one." Sorento was paralyzed. He had no idea how to handle such straightforward appraisal from a woman before. Worse, he felt captivated by her beauty. "Is this mission a sleepover?"

"Unfortunately for you, no. Julian requires a search and destroy."

"Oh, a pity." She let go of Sorento, and withdrew. "Is it something ugly?"

Klaudios cracked a grin, as if anticipating something entertaining. "As a matter of fact, it is worse than ugly. You could say it is a pirating problem."

"Pirates?" Her voice was suddenly half an octave lower. "I am to eliminate pirates?"

"There is definitely unwarranted theft and murder at Julian's expense. I'm sure you have no qualms about assisting Julian with his needs, then." The old man seemed to look at the woman with pride. "He may not look like it, but Valsion is highly opposed to injustice."

Both Julian's and Sorento's lowered jaws could barely utter the stunned question. "He?"

Valsion simply giggled with delight. "Don't act so innocent. I'm sure the both of you deceived plenty of suitors as well."

"As I was saying, Valsion is the agent to solve your problem."

Julian was still ignorant of superhuman beings such as Sorento. "Just this one... person is enough?" Sorento had no doubt this Valsion was indeed someone gifted with cosmo. Yet what was Valsion? He was obviously not a saint, marina, or spectre.

"I assure you, Valsion is a what you may call an advanced product of biomechanical engineering. Employ him as you see fit."

"Klaudios, what of payment?"

"I am confident in Valsion enough to defer payment until after his work is complete."

Given what Julian already witnessed in this facility, he was not about to question the circumstances of his benefactor. The sheer magnitude of technology simply outmatched his bargaining power. It was the whim of Klaudios that became dominant."Very well then. I sincerely thank you for your generosity."

"You are too polite, Julian. I believe, gentleman, that you wish to return to your pressing matters? I shall not keep you."

"You are not returning with us to the surface?"

"Valsion shall show you the way. I have some matters to take care of here before I return to the party." He gestured and Valsion obeyed.

"Right this way, gorgeous."

This trip back to the elevator was as unsettling as the descent. None of the exhibits were seen again. The path was much shorter, their return to the lift too soon. Sorento could not ignore the cosmo of their new ally. Sure, Julian always emitted a divine cosmo, but after so many years, the marina general grew accustomed to such presence. Valsion's cosmo, high as it was, was not the fact that made him uneasy. It was that gaudy affection as well as the deception on his part. Being so close to Julian all the time, he never allowed himself the time to desire a woman, yet Valsion in such a short time grasped that emotion from him. To hold Sorento's feelings like that, then to suddenly expose the truth of being male, the marina general felt betrayed and cheapened. He bit his tongue to remain stoic in front of Julian. Just when he thought he kept himself under control in the lift ride, he was yanked right out of his state. Actually, he was grabbed out of it. Poor Sorento nearly jumped ahead of the lift in fright, but he was pulled and held in place. Despite his body remaining in place, he could not control the yelp of his voice.

"Sorento? What is it?" Julian could only look to his right when Valsion spoke up.

"Relax. There's no reason for beautiful people like us to avoid some friendly contact."

Julian caught sight of what startled Sorento so much. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?"

"Having some fun, of course."

"That's no way to treat Sorento! Keep your hands to yourself."

"OK OK OK, fine."

It wasn't fine. Sorento allowed himself to appear vulnerable in front of Julian. That was two strikes against Valsion already. If a third strike occurred, there was no telling if Julian was about to require a substitute for Valsion. The reason they had to pick up this fop was because he couldnt permit himself to leave Julian no matter what. He was unable to help Julian because of his commitment. As a result of his inability, they needed this annoying freak. Feeling useless was a foreign, and painful, experience to the marina general. Yet in spite of the tension and regret, a new touch startled him. This time it was gentle and understanding. His fingers were held with another's. The red eyes met with blue eyes. Julian's smile melted much of those mixed feelings away. Although he observed this connection, Valsion remained silent. The message became clear to him. Off-limits.

Before he knew it, Sorento saw the marvelous manor halls once more. Time dilated because of Julian's reassuring hold. Did Julian know of Sorento's frustration? The timing was impeccable. Valsion did not feel like a problem anymore. Speaking of which, he wondered if Valsion would attract the wrong attention when they traversed through the party. "You can just by those people, looking like that?"

"That won't be a problem, althought it will mean no one else will marvel at my beauty." Valsion simply continued toward the party, but his armor became less and less opaque. Within seconds he was invisible.

Sorento did not like the loss of warmth from his master's hand. Julian had appearances to keep up, and hand-holding was more risky than Valsion in plain sight. Still, for the marina general to feel so touched, it more than made up for the angst that evening.


End file.
